02. Important Information

Question 1

Observations lead to…

Answer 1

theories which lead to hypotheses which are tested with experiments or other research studies

Question 2

Name the psychologist who discovered the truth about Clever Hans

Answer 2

Oskar Pfungst

Question 3

List 3 lessons about scientific research

Answer 3

1. The value of skepticism- engaging in critical thinking to look more carefully and see what others might have missed
2. The value of careful observations under controlled conditions, this is a hallmark of the scientific method
3. The problem of observer effects- the people conducting the research (observers) may unintentionally communicate their expectations to subjects about how they “should” behave and the subjects may respond by doing what the observer expects

Question 4

Does a scientist try to prove or disprove theories?

Answer 4

Disprove

Question 5

When does a scientific theory become more believable?

Answer 5

When repeated attempts to disprove it fail

Question 6

List 3 types of research strategies

Answer 6

1. The research design (experiments, correlational studies, descriptive studies)
2. The setting (field or laboratory)
3. The data collection method (self-report or observation)

Question 7

Random assignment

Answer 7

regularly used in between-group experiments to ensure that the subjects are not assigned in a way that could bias the results (any differences among the groups that do not stem from the differing treatments must be the result of chance)

Question 8

What is the standard way of showing the independent and dependent variables on a graph (axes)?

Answer 8

Independent along the horizontal (x-axis)
Dependent along the vertical (y-axis)

Question 9

Correlation does not (necessarily) equal

Answer 9

causation

Question 10

List an important con of lab studies

Answer 10

the strangeness or artificiality of the laboratory may induce behaviours that obscure those the researcher wants to study

Question 11

List an important pro of lab studies

Answer 11

allows the researcher to collect data under more uniform, controlled conditions than are possible in the field

Question 12

List a con of naturalistic observation

Answer 12

the researchers may inadvertently, by their mere presence, influence the behaviour they are observing

Question 13

Statistical methods are…

Answer 13

ways to summarise the data and determine the likelihood that observed patters in the data are (or are not) simply the results of chance. These procedures are divided into two categories: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics

Question 14

List 3 types of descriptive statisticss

Answer 14

1. mean
2. median
3. measure of variability

Question 15

When is a result said to be statistically significant?

Answer 15

When the p value is less than .05 (5%)

Question 16

List the components for testing for statistical siginificance

Answer 16

1. the size of the observed effect - large effect more likely significant than a small one
2. The number of individual subjects or observations in the study- Large samples of data are less distorted by chance than small ones
3. The variability of the data within each group- the less the variability is within each group the more likely the results are to be significant

Question 17

What can bias lead to?

Answer 17

researchers coming to the false conclusion that their hypothesis has been supported when, in fact, some factor irrelevant to the hypothesis has caused the observed results

Question 18

A good measure of behaviour is both…

Answer 18

reliable and valid

Question 19

What is the best way to prevent observer-expectancy bias?

Answer 19

Keep the observer blind

Question 20

In designing studies, scientists must consider scientific issues and…

Answer 20

ethical issues

Question 21

In research with humans, ethics dictate that subjects must provide their

Answer 21

informed consent

Question 22

List 3 ethical considerations

Answer 22

1. The person’s right to privacy (safeguards to protect privacy include informing subjects that they do not have to share any information about themselves that they do not wish to share, and anonymity)
2. The possibility of discomfort or harm (a determination must be made that the risk is minimal and is outweighed by the human benefits of the study)
3. The use of deception (some psychological processes cannot be studied without it, any “white lies” should be cleared up during debriefing)

Question 23

State an ethical obligation for employing non-human animal subjects in studies

Answer 23

Researchers must balance the animals’ suffering against the potential benefits of the research