Chapter 2 Flashcards
Rationalism
The view that reason & logical argument, but not experience, is most important for how we acquire knowledge.
Scientific Method
- Identify the problem
- Gather information
- Generate hypothesis
- Design & conduct experiments
- Analyse data & form conclusions
- Restart the process
Descriptive Methods
- Any means to describe a group (capture, record, report)
- Interested in identifying “what is” instead of “why” it is
Naturalistic Observation
- Observation of behaviour as it happens.
- Not attempt to manipulate or control environment.
Participant Observation
- A research method in which the researcher becomes part of the group under investigation.
David Rosenhan
- Skeptical of diagnostic abilities of clinicians
- Did a 3 year investigation
Case Studies
- An in-depth analysis of a unique circumstance of an individual.
Henry Molaison - H.M.
Man who couldn’t record memories.
Surveys
- An efficient way to to quickly collect information & gather an understanding of the current state of people’s opinions or attitudes.
Alfred Kinsey
Sex studies.
Correlation
- Researchers conduct observations, case studies, & surveys with the purpose of identifying relationships that exist between two or more variables.
- Correlations are not causations.
Positive Correlation
- The variables change in the same direction.
- As one variable increases, the other also increases. Same if it decreases. (line, bottom left to top right)
Negative Correlation
- One variable increase leads to decrease of the other. (line, top left to bottom right)
Zero Correlation
- Indicates that there is no apparent relationship between the variables. (Vaccines and autism) (line, random dots)
Confounding Variable
- Other variables that may influence one or both variables that we are measuring, thereby influencing the correlation coefficient. (Ice cream & homicide)
Hypothesis
- A prediction about what will happen in research.
- The aim of conducting experimental research is to explain cause and effect relationships.
- Specific.
- Testable.
- Falsifiable.
- As simple as possible.
- Should be consistent with prior observations or an existing theory.
Cause and Effect Relationships
“If I do this, then this will happen”
^ we are making a prediction about the outcome of an event, this prediction is a hypothesis.
Operational Definition
- How a researcher decides to measure a variable.
E.g.violent video games make people more aggressive. what constitutes as aggressive behaviour? the experimenter will decide “operational definition”
