Chapter 2: Methods in Psychology Flashcards
Outline the process of the scientific method
Step 1: Observe an interesting behaviour
Step 2: Form initial theory
Step 3: Construct hypothesis from initial theory
Step 4: test the hypothesis by manipulating IV and measuring DV.
Step 5: if results don’t support hypothesis, revise theory and construct a new hypothesis.
Step 6: If results support hypothesis, try to replicate the results.
Step 7: If results can be replicated, theory is established
Step 8: If the results cant be replicated, theory is rejected
Step 9: Form new theory, construct hypothesis and repeat steps.
What are the challenges in studying human behaviour?
- People are highly complex
- People are highly variable
- People are highly reactive
Name the properties of a good operational definition.
- It is the description of a property in measurable terms.
- Has good construct validity: how well the property is characterized
What are some of the methods psychologists use to avoid demand characteristics?
- Naturalistic observation: observing people in their natural environment
- Privacy and control: gathering info privately/anonymously and measuring behaviours people can’t/wont control
- Unawareness: people being observed are unaware of true purpose.
What is a frequency distribution?
- A graphic representation showing how many times a value occurs.
How do psychologists avoid observer bias?
- Double-blind study: neither researcher/participant knows how the participants are expected to behave
Describe the two main types of descriptive statistics?
- Central tendency: measurements that tend to lie near the centre/midpoint of the frequency distribution
- Variability: how much measurements differ
Explain what you can/cannot conclude from correlational research.
Can:
- Predict the value of one variable from the knowledge of the other value
Cannot:
- That they are related
What are the components of an experiment?
- Manipulation
- Control
- Random assignment
- Random selection
How do experiments solve the third-variable problem?
- Done through manipulation and by eliminating/controlling other possible causes.
What are type I and type II errors?
- Type I: conclude that there is a relationship between two variables when there is not (false positive)
- Type II: conclude that there is no relationship between two variables when there is (false negative)
What are the three basic principles that ethical research must follow?
- Researchers should show respect for persons, be beneficent and just.
- Ethical data reporting is necessary and approval from institutional review boards should be gained
- Psychologists must report truthfully, share credit and data