Chapter One and Sixteen Flashcards
What are the three central characteristics of good writing?
Organization, clarity, and conciseness.
Basic Research
Research designed to understand psychological processes without regard for whether that understanding will be immediately applicable in solving real world problems.
Falsifiability
The requirement that a hypothesis must be capable of being falsified.
Correlational Research
Investigates relationships among various variables
Why should we be cautious about reports of research that are published in the popular media and posted on the internet.
They are not often peer reviewed and may be psyudoscience
Results: layout
•Interpret results, relate to hypotheses and previous research•Talk about possible methodological limitations•Speculate on importance and generalizability of results•Suggest future research
In what sense is psychology both a science and profession?
Promotes human welfare (counseling,education, ext.) and studies behavior/ mental processes.
Distinguish among theory, model, and hypothesis.
Theory: Attempts to explain relationships between concepts (tasks vs interpersonal leaders. (HOW AND WHY concepts are related).
Model: Describes only how they are related.
Hypothesis are an if then statement- and hypothesis are tested within the theory.
Methodological Pluralism
Use of many different methods and designs to test a theory
Operational Definition
How a concept is measured and induced in a particular study
Model
An explanation of how a particular process occurs.
Introduction:Layout
- Introduce research topic; pay special attention to opening sentence & paragraph
- Start with concrete example, then go from general to specific
- State specific problem studied, purpose of study
- Review relevant previous research
- End with preview of method, specific hypotheses
What are the two primary jobs that characterize scientific investigation?
Detecting and Explaining Phenomena.
- Discovering, documenting new phenomena, patterns, and relationships.
- Then explaining it once enough info. is gathered.
Theory
Set of propositions that attempts to explain the relationships among a set of concepts.
Applied Research
Research designed to investigate real world problems or improve the quality of life.
Discuss the importance of systematic empiricism, public verification and solvability to the scientific method.
These need to be met for an investigation to be considered scientific. Empiricism is systematic observations and allows them to do research experiments to come to conclusions. Public verification allows scientists to make sure the findings are real and observable/ and allows science to be self correcting. Solvable problems allows us to investigate only the questions that are answerable given current knowledge and research techniques (Cant study angels) .
Why can a theory NOT be proved by research?
We can suggest, indicate, show… using our results. Hard to PROVE.
How does science progress over time?
Research separates good ideas, theories, and findings from bad ones•Science is self-correcting!•This is also why an accurate literature review/search is so important!!!!!!!!!
Poster Session
A session at a professional conference at which researchers display information about their studies on posters.
3 domains of behavioral science
behavior, thought and emotion
Public Verification
The practice of conducting research in such a way that it can be observed, verified, and replicated by others.
Is disproof a logically valid operation?
Logically possible, is impossible in a practical sense.
Describe the process by which hypotheses are developed and tested.
Hypothesis are derived from theories or induced by observations.
Describe how researchers use induction vs deduction to generate research hypotheses.
Deduction is derived from a theory. Induction inductively from observed facts. Hypothesis must be formulated precisely in order to be testable.
Why should authors avoid gender biased language?
It makes a lot of assumptions and may create ambiguity.
4 broad categories of behavioral research
descriptive, behavioral, correlational, experimental, and quasi experimental.
a priori prediction
A prediction made about the outcome of study before data are collected.
Pseudoscience
Claims of knowledge that are couched in the trappings of science but that violate the central criteria of scientific investigation, such as systematic empiricism, public verification, and testability.
Induction
The process of reasoning from specific instances to a general proposition about those instances; for example, hypothesis are sometimes induced from observed facts.
What are the four methodological categories of behavioral research?
Descriptive •Correlational•Experimental•Quasi-experimental
Research Proposal
A description of research that an investigator would like to conduct written to convince decision makers of the importance, feasibility, and mythological quality of the project.
What is the purpose of the introduction paper?
To describe to the reader the problem under investigation and presents a background context in which the problem can be understood.
Hypothesis
A proposition that follows logically from a theory; also, a prediction regarding the outcome of a study.
When an author submits a manuscript to a journal, what is the general process by which the decision whether or not to publish the paper is made?
After submission, the editor sends a copy to two experts, then there viewer reads and critiques paper (strengths and weaknesses). May send back to author to make improvements or occasionally publish paper how it is.
Replication definition and importance
Definition: Testing whether an effect obtained in one study can be reproduced in other studiesImportance: Recognized as central—perhaps essential—feature of science–Direct replication: attempts to reproduce a previous study–Close replication: attempts to reproduce a previous study as closely as possible–Conceptual replication: tests the original hypotheses using a different procedure (common with new techniques)
Peer Review
The Process by which experts evaluate research papers to judge their suitability for publication or presentation.
References: Layout
- List all papers you cited, in alphabetical order by author
- Question to consider:–Are all references you cited in the paper included here, and are all references included here cited in the paper?
Empirical Generalization
A hypothesis that is based on the results of a previous studies.
Why must hypothesis be falsifiable?
Because a hypothesis needs to be tested. It needs to be able to support the idea presented.(Hypothesis needs to be left open enough for the possibility of being falsified by the data collected).
Evaluation Research
The use of behavioral research methods to assess the effects of programs on behavior, also called program evaluation.
Method: Layout
- Tell reader exactly how study was conducted
- Characteristics of participants, design, materials, procedure
- Questions to consider:–Have you told reader who participated and why?–Have you explained all independent and dependent variables?
What are the three goals of behavioral research?
Describing, Predicting, and Explaining behavior
Post Hoc Explanation
An explanation offered for a set of findings after the data are collected and analyzed.
Empiricism
The practice of relying on observation to draw conclusions about the world.
When presenting the results of a statistical analyses, what info should be presented?
Relevant results (even if contradicts hypothesis). Present statistical tests, information about the kind of analysis that was conducted, the degrees of freedom, its statistical significance, and the effect size.
Deduction
The process of reasoning from a general proposition to a specific implication of that position; for example hypotheses are often deduced from theories.
Distinguish between basic and applied research. In what ways are basic and applied research interdependent?
A lot of basic research is immediately applicable, and applied enhances that knowledge.
Describe the development of psychology as a science
Aristotle addressed basic questions about human behavior. Most were philosophers or theologians that assessed every day observations, creative inside, or religious doctrine (not scientific).
Experimental Research
Research that determines whether independent variables can cause change in dependent variables
Conceptual Definition
An abstract, dictionary type definition.
An introduction is ____ to ____.
General to specific
A Discussion is _____ to ____.
Specific to general
Abstract: Layout
Concise (<120 words) summary of entire paper
•Must summarize intro, method, results, and discussion
•Typically written last
•Questions to consider:–What was the objective of the study?–What was the principal method used (an experiment, a survey)?
Why is peer review so important to science?
It is evaluated by other scientists who have expertise in the topic under investigation and gives them credibility.
What was Wilhelm Wundes primary contribution to behavioral research?
Birth of scientific psychology.
Strategy of Strong Inference
Designing a study in such a way that it tests competing predictions from two or more theories.
Name at least 10 academic disciplines in which behavioral scientists do research
Cognitive, IO, Educational, clinical, counseling, school, developmental, personality, social, experimental, neuroscience.
Is it true that most of the findings of behavioral research are just common sense?
A lot of findings can be observed, but it can interfere with scientific process.
List in order the major sections that all research papers must have.
title page Abstract tIntroduction Method Results Discussion References
In what ways does pseudoscience differ from true science?
Pseudoscience: Not based on observation, based on myths, and untested beliefs. May come from people with personal experience “experts”. May be biased. Not verifiable. Not a solvable question.
Descriptive Research
describes behavior, thoughts, and feelings of a group of people
Quasi-experimental Research
Studies the effects of some variable or event that occurs naturally (and does not vary an independent variable) or else manipulates an independent variable but does exercise the same control over extraneous factors as in a true experiment
Contributions animal testing has had to science
Many important advances have come from animal research•Helped us understand basic learning processes•Paved the way for interventions•Foundation for understanding human anatomy and physiology
Null Finding
Failing to obtain a statistically significant effect in a study.
Title page: layout
- Title should be < 15 words
- Title should capture essence of paper–Especially key independent & dependent variables–Should be concise, yet informative
In what ways is the study of research methods valuable to students like you?
Helps students to understand research that is relevant to their professions. Makes students more intelligent and effective in everyday life. Development of critical thinking. Helps a person become an authority.
Spec’s of Entire Paper: Layout
- Double-space entire paper
- One inch margins top & bottom, left & right
- Page number and header (first 2-3 words of title) on each page
What info should be included in the method section of a paper? What subsections does the method section typically have?
Describes precisely how the study was conducted. Helps others replicate research. Subsections: Participants, Apparatus (materials), and procedure.
Results: Layout
- Report data: how did you test hypotheses?•Tell a story: keep emphasis on ideas, not numbers
- Remind reader of each hypothesis before testing; was each hypothesis supported?
- Do NOT interpret findings here
What are the three primary ways in which scientists share their work with the scientific community?
Journal publication, presentations at professional meetings, and personal contact.
