2.1 psychological research methods Flashcards
before scientific method any statement came from_________
any observation
scientific method helps:
- find flaws in peoples theories
- pple have biases but sm tries to minimize their influence when seeking the truth
we cant accurately derive our understanding of nature from…
narrow , limited personal experience
Ppl experience the world differently b/c of ______
biases they have
all sciences are to help over come ______
weaknesses
what helped develop scientific method?
psychology
father of experimental science
sir francis bacon
quality science research must have key variables that ensure …
objectivity, validity and reliability
variable
any object, concept, or event that is the focus of a science investigation
objectivity (or objective measurement)
-achieved when measurement of a variable is consistent , despite who is doing the measurement, or what tools they are using to measure it with
operational definition
the procedures used to measure a variable
validity
the degree to which a measurement procedure actually measures the variable it was developed to measure
reliability
the degree that a measure produces the same measurement for a variable across measurement events
test- retest reliability
the extent of similarity in scores generated by the same measure for the same person across two testing sessions
alternate forms reliability
the extent to which different forms of the same test generate similar scores for the same person across two testing sessions
-often used to overcome practice effects from having already completed the same test before
reliability in observational studies
two observers recording the same actions
inter-rater reliability
the degree of similarity in observations recored by two observers (or raters )
generalizability
the degree that the findings of a research study apply to people and situations other than those that are specific to the study
Population vs. sample
everyone vs. a small portion of everyone
convenience samples
require more caution when generalizing results, but are often the only practical research option for psychologists
random samples are ideal, when possible, because
they justify generalizability when using them to make statements about the populations
ecological validity
the extent that the results obtained in a research study will apply in the world outside of the laboratory
experimenter bias
a researcher’s beliefs and expectations can contaminate their research findings, even without their awareness
hawthorne effect
refers to the distorting influence the mere presence of researchers can have on participants in psychological research studies
placebo effects
occur when a person’s expectation that some treatment will improve their health actually causes health improvements
these can easily occur for treatments known to be completely ineffective
how to reduce the effect of demand characteristics
- maintain participants’ anonymity (or at least ensure that their responses are confidential)
- keep the true purpose of the study a secret until after collecting responses from a participant (single blind study)
anonymity
there is no connection b/w participants’ responses and their identity
confidentiality
only the researcher can link participants’ responses to their identity and they promise to keep the info a secret
how to reduce the effect of experiment bias
why not also keep important aspects of the study (such as which condition each participant is in) a secret from the experimenter until the study is over? (double blind study)
single blind study
keep true purpose of the study a secret until after collecting responses from a participant
double blind study
both the researcher and participant both are unaware the condition the participant is in
peer review
to be considered legitimate, research findings must be published in respectable scholarly journals.
research articles only succeed in getting published by respectable journals after receiving a thorough review and criticism from other experts
rigorous peer review process ensures ..
quality control in scientific reports
replication
repeating a study and obtaining essentially the same results
features of poor research studies
- the research hypothesis is not falsifiable
- the research relies on anecdotal evidence
- the research suffers from data selection bias
- the research relies on appeals to authority
- the research relies on appeals to common sense
explanations that make reference to luck are ______
unfalsifiable
there is no way to confirm or falsify a role for luck ahead of time
anecdotal
not necessarily true or reliable because it based on personal accounts rather than facts or research
our imagination often gets things _____
wrong
