Explain the use of one research method in one study of the brain and behavior.

Question 1

research method in biological approach (1)

Answer 1

Psychologists in the biological approach often use experiments to establish cause-and-effect relationships. An experiment allows researchers to manipulate an independent variable and measure its effect on a dependent variable while keeping other variables constant. In addition, participants are randomly allocated to conditions.

Question 2

research method in biological approach (2)

Answer 2

Finally, in biological research, a placebo is often given as a way of preventing demand characteristics. A placebo is when participants believe that they are getting a treatment, but they are not.

Question 3

One study in biological approach that uses experiment

Answer 3

An example of this was a study by Newcomer who wanted to see the effect of stress on verbal declarative memory. When we are stressed we secrete a hormone called cortisol. Newcomer hypothesized that high levels of cortisol would prevent memory formation.

Question 4

Newcomer procedure

Answer 4

To test the hypothesis, participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: a low dose of cortisol, a high dose of cortisol, or a placebo – a pill that they thought was cortisol but was not. The experiment took place over 10 days with four different measures of the participant’s ability to immediately recall a piece of prose that was read to them. The experiment was a double-blind study- the participants did not know which group they were in and the researcher also did not know which participants had been assigned to each group.

Question 5

results of Newcomer

Answer 5

The results showed that the group that received the high dose of cortisol had the lowest recall of details from the prose passage. From the manipulation of the IV, the researchers may conclude that it was the level of cortisol that actually affected their ability to form verbal declarative memories.