CH. 1 The Science of Psychology Flashcards
What is psychology
Scientific study of behavior and mental processes
What are the 4 aspects of Scientific Thinking?
Curious
objective
skeptical
think critically
What are the 6 steps of the Scientific Method?
- Observation & literature review
- Testable hypothesis
- Research design
- Data collection and analysis
- Publication
- Theory development
Theory vs Hypothesis
DEFINE
How are they different
Theory- Broad explanation of observations or facts through repeated testing (Tested)
Hypothesis- statement or possible explanation of the relationship you have observed (PREDICTIONS)
Variable-
Any factors that can vary or change
can be observed, measured and verified
3 types of research data collection methods
Descriptive
Correlational
Experimental
Descriptive Research
observing & recording behavior & mental states without manipulating the variable
5 types of Descriptive research
Naturalistic observation- Real world settings (NO MANIPULATIONS)
Surveys- convenient social desirability
Case Study- in depth look at a single individual
-rare conditions
-interviews
sometimes small groups
standardized tests- uniform way of administering & scoring. Describes current state; may change in time.
Meta Analysis- A statistical technique for combining analyzing data from many studies in order to determine overall trends
MAIN GOAL OF Correlational research
Identify the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics. designed to meet the goal of prediction
3rd variable
illusory correlations
does not indicate cause & affect- EX: Ice cream and drowning are HIGHLY correlated. not because ice cream sales cause drowning. but they both are in the summer time….(3rd variable)
Illusory correlations- non existent. made up. NO actual connections between the two variables
What is Correlation Coefficient
A number from -1.00 to +1.00 that indicates the direction and strength of the relationship between to variables.
scatter plots- show if
positive relationship
negative
no relationship (0)
strongest positive relationship between two variables?
weakest possible relationship
+1
0
Experimental Design
Manipulating and controlling the variables to determine cause of behavior (cause & affect)
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
IV- manipulated, influenced, experimental factors in the experiment, controlled by the experimenter (AKA treatment variable)
DV- observed & measured for change. depends on the IV’s factors
EXAMPLE: New medications thought to help anxiety (IV)
anxiety levels of the participant/client (DV)
Random Assignment
equal chance for participants to be assigned to either group
Experimental group
group is manipulated
control group
comparison, treated like experimental but not manipulated
Placebo
Inactive substance- fake. Mimics the Independent Variable but isn’t the (IV)
Placebo affect
The DV says there symptoms improve. all in their heads
Population Vs. Sample
population- is the entire group
Sample- a section of the group
SAMPLE BIAS- when a researcher recruits and selects individuals who do not accurately reflect the composition of the population.
Experimenter Bias
Participant Bias
when the experimenters behavior and or expectations influence the groups outcome.
when the participants behavior and or expectations influence the groups outcome.
ALLEVIATE BIAS BY:
anonymous participation, privacy and confidentiality
Informed consent
patients are made aware of the study, what to expect. etc. agreement made
Confidentiality
personal info is kept private and not published
Debriefing
a discussion at the end of an experiment or study.
