Chapter 2 : The research enterprise in psychology Flashcards
What are the 8 steps to research in psychology?
- Ask questions
- Define the problem
- Examine the evidence
- Analyze
- Avoid emotional reasoning
- Do not over simplify
- Consider alternative interpretations
- Tolerant uncertainty
What is a hypothesis?
an unfixed statement about the relationship between two or more variables. Variables are any measurable quality of events, characteristics, or behaviors that are observed in a study.
What is a theory?
a system of interrelated ideas to explain a set of observations
What are the goals of the scientific approach?
- measurement and description
- understanding and predictions
- application and control
What are the steps in an investigation?
- formulate a testable hypothesis
- select the method and design the study
- collect the data
- analyze and come up with conclusions
- report your findings
What are the advantages of the scientific approach?
- clarity and precision yield better communication
- intolerance of error yields more reliable data
What is an independent variable?
condition or event manipulated by the experimenter
the person who receives the drug or whatever they are trying to prove
What is a dependent variable?
Aspect of behavior thought to be affected by the independent variable
Example is the placebo effect
What is the experimental group?
participants who receive the special treatment
What is the control group?
similar subjects who do not receive the special treatment but think they do.
What does correlation mean in research in psychology?
exists when two variables are related to each other. example is age and wrinkles
What is a prediction in psychology research?
the stronger correlation the better one can predict.
What are examples of specific correlational/descriptive methods?
Naturalistic observations - careful observations but no interventions.
Case Study - in depth investigation of a single person from many resources
Survey - Questionnaires and interviews used to gather information about specific peoples behavior.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of research?
- advantage is a large scope on the phenomena that is of interest to the psychologists can study
- disadvantage is cannot demonstrate that two variables are casually related.
What are common flaws in research?
- sampling bias happens when a sample is does not represent a population
- distortions in self-report data is result of problems such as social desirability bias or halo effect that happens when people give verbal accounts of their behavior.
- experiment bias happens when a researcher desired outcome of a study influences the results.
