CH 2 Research in Psychology (QUESTIONS) Flashcards
Psychology is interested in developing… (2)
- Explanations
- Predictions
How are explanations found?
Through experimentation
How are predictions found?
Through correlation
Predictions work well with _____ but not _____
- Describing groups
- Individuals
What do predictions and explanations allow for? (2)
Applications and Control
What is the cycle of the scientific enterprise? (7)
- Theory — important as it explains the world around us
- Well developed theories can produce predictions (hypotheses)
- Hypotheses
- Empirical Research
——
(Findings support hypotheses)
- Confidence in theory increases
——
(Findings do not support hypotheses)
-4. Confidence in theory decreases
—5.1 Discard theory
—5.2 Revise, refine theory
What are the 5 steps to scientific investigations?
- Formulate a hypothesis
- Design the study
- Collect the data
- Analyze data to evaluate hypothesis
- Communicate the results
- via Evaluation and Replication
What are 3 important factors when conducting a scientific investigation?
- Clarity
- Precision
- Intolerance to error
What do operational definitions permit?
Assessment of validity
5 Steps of Experiments
- Formulate hypothesis (in the format x affects y)
- Random assignment into either the experimental group or control group (ensures study isn’t affected by external factors)
- Manipulate independent variable
- Assess subject’s behaviour
- Draw conclusions
What does the logic of the experimental method rely on?
That the characteristics of the experimental group are equal to those of the control group
3 Key points of Experiments
- Two groups are alike in all respects (experimental & control)
- The only difference between the two groups is that one is exposed to a specific change (the independent variable), while the other is not (control group).
- Differences between the two groups on the dependent variable must be due to the manipulation of the independent variable
What did the Schachter (1959) experiment test for? How was it conducted (Use the experiment steps to explain) ?
- Need for affiliation
- People were told that they were going to be shocked
- They didn’t actually get the shock, just a questionnaire that asked them whether or not they’d prefer to be with others or by themselves while they waited
Experiment:
- Formulated hypothesis: Anxiety increases desire to be with others
- Randomly assigned college students into experimental and control groups
- Manipulated Independent variable
- Experimental group: “Shocks will be painful” (High anxiety)
- Control group: “Shocks will be painless” (Low anxiety)
- Measures dependent variable: Does each group prefer to wait alone or with others? (didn’t actually
What was the result of the Schachter (1959) experiment?
- High anxiety group preferred to wait with others more than the Low anxiety group
- Provided an answer for the hypothesis by demonstrating how anxiety increases the desire to be with others
How do psychologists counter extraneous and confounding variables?
Random assignment
Can a subject participate in all the conditions and groups within an experiment? What does this allow for? What are the risks? How are these risks countered (4)
- Yes
- Rules out extraneous subjects
- Must be careful for the order of administration of conditions
- Counterbalancing
Can you manipulate more than one independent variable in a experiment? What does this allow? Give an example. (3)
- Yes
- Evaluates separate and joint effects of each independent variable
- ex. Effects of music and temperature on typing music
What can influence the results of an experiment? How is this countered?
- Subject and experimenter expectations (ex. Placebo effect)
- Double-blind experiments
Do subliminal tapes work?
According to studies, no.
Advantage of controlled experiments
Strict control of variables offers researchers the opportunity to draw conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships
Limitations of controlled experiments (1,2)
The artificiality of the lab setting may influence subjects behaviour
- Unexpected and uncontrolled variables may confound results
- Many variables cannot be controlled and manipulated
Scatterplot (📈) depicts a…?
Positive (direct) correlation
Scatterplot (📉) depicts a…?
Negative (inverse) correlation
Scatterplot with (literal) randomly scattered plots depicts a…?
Zero correlation (no relationship)
