Chapter 2: Research in I/O Psychology Flashcards
Why conduct research?
- Answering questions and making decisions
- Research and everyday life
- Common sense is often wrong
First consideration in conducting research:
Decide what to research.
(Example: “I wonder why some of my employees can’t get to work on time”)
An educated prediction about the answer to a question.
Hypothesis.
Literature reviews can be conducted in many ways such as:
- Online/Electronic Database
- Internet
- Periodicals
A written collection of articles describing the methods and results of new research.
Journals.
Consist of articles written by researchers directly reporting the results of a study.
Journals.
The best source of unbiased and accurate information about a topic.
Journals.
A collection of articles about related professional topics, seldom directly reporting the methods and results of new research.
Trade magazines.
Contain articles usually written by professional writers who have developed expertise in a given field.
Trade magazines.
An unscientific collection of articles about a wide range of topics.
Magazines.
Contains a wealth of information on just about every topic, but can never be certain if the information is accurate.
Internet.
This is conducted under controlled conditions, in which the researcher manipulates the independent variable (IV) to measure the effect on the dependent variable (DV).
Laboratory Research.
Disadvantages of laboratory research:
- External validity
- Generalizability
The extent to which research results can be expected to hold true outside the specific setting in which they were obtained.
External validity.
The extent to which research results hold true outside the specific setting in which they were obtained.
Generalizability.
Research conducted in a natural setting as opposed to a laboratory.
Field research.
The formal process by which subjects give permission to be included in a study.
Informed consent.
Types of research method to use:
- Experiments
- Quasi-experiments
- Archival research
- Observations
- Surveys
- Meta-analyses
The most powerful of all research methods because it is the only one that can determine cause-and-effect relationships.
Experiments.
Two characteristics that define an experiment:
- Manipulation of one or more independent variables.
- Random assignment of subjects to experimental and control conditions.
The manipulated variable in an experiment.
Independent variable.
The measure of behavior that is expected to change as a result of changes in the independent variable.
Dependent variable.
In an experiment, the group of subjects that receives the experimental treatment of interest to the experimenter.
Experimental group.
A group of subjects/employees who do not receive a particular type of treatment.
Control group.