Chapter 2 Research Methodology Flashcards
Name and explain the steps of how to test a hypothesis
- Devise a hypothesis from a theory
- Perform a literature review so you can find existing knowledge, perhaps on different levels
- Devise a study
- Carry out study and collect data
- Analyze Data results
- Present findings to scientific community
Name the 4 goals of science and explain each idea
Description - What is the phenomenon that is happening
Prediction - When does it occur
Control - What causes it to occur
Explanation - Why it occurs
Name the stages of critical thinking
- Question the information (source, credibility, etc)
- What is the definition of each part of the claim (basically, be specific)
- Always stay vigilant - peer review might not be enough
Good theories are
falsifiable - meaning they can easily be proven false
open to creating multiple hypotheses
Name and explain the scientific method
Used to conduct research:
- Come up with a theory, which is an observation/relationship between two events
- From the theory, devise a hypothesis that can be tested
- Test out the hypothesis via research
- Based on conclusion, either support hypothesis to continue collecting data or refute hypothesis and craft another theory
Descriptive research
observing behavior in order to describe the behavior objectively and systematically (measuring time spent in a conversation, recording people eating food in cafeterias)
Case Studies
intensive examination of an unusual person organization in some way that can be studied further
observational studies
participant observation -> when the observer is part of the participants
naturalistic observation -> observing without altering any of the outcome, passive, no alterations
coding
dividing behavior up into noticeable behaviors (ie. Walks slowly, talks a lot, when observing a person driving while using a cell phone)
reactivity
the difference in behavior a person will experience between when he/she knows he/she is being observed as opposed to not being observed
observer bias
Observers which might look up upon certain behaviors or believe certain cultural norms might impart bias due to their own differences
Experimenter Expectancy Effect
an observer’s observations can change based on their expectations (ie think mice trainers who were told their mice were bred to be smart)
Self-report methods
Surveys or interviews, but the drawback is that people will impart their own biases into their responses (ie less people will actually admit to driving with a cell phone)
Directionality Problem
We don’t so much know if A will cause B or B causes A even if there’s a strong correlation between the two variables
Third Variable Problem
Correlational plots cannot detect if a variable C actually causes both A and B
