Lectue 3 Flashcards
Why do we need scientific study of intimate relationships?
- Prevelance of dating apps (40 - 50% among young adults)
- Psychological principles + data science approach = modern romance
What issues come up with the science of studying relationships?
- Religious taboos and social norms
- Stigmatization towards female researches
- Limited funding and support
- High difficulty in maintaining objectivity in highly personal topics
How does one study love?
Scientific methods
1. Research question and hypothesis
2. Operationalitzation
3. Measurement strategy
4. Study design
5. Data collection, analysis, and conclusions
1, 3, and 4 very important for love project
What are the four goals of psychology?
- Descriptive: what happens?
- Explanatory: why does it happen? (relationship)
- Predictive: when does it happen? (time lag)
- Comparative: how does it defer? (manipulations on IV)
What is a hypothesis?
a specific, testable, falsifiable statement or prediction –> PROPOSES a relationship between variables or EXPLAINS a particular phenomenon with THEORETICAL BASIS
What are some important things to remember when developing a research question?
- clarity
- specificity
- feasibility
- beyond description
- open-endedness
What is operationalization?
the process of defining and converting abstract concepts into specific, measurable indicators or variables (observable, quantifiable, analyzable)
What are some measurement strategies?
- observation
- experiment
- survey
- on-going self-monitoring
- interview
- focus group
observation (natural)
recording behavior in natural environment
– more valid, not concerned with ethics
– lack of control, observer bias
observation (controlled)
- designed by researcher
– more controlled and focus, also replication
– however, may create artifical behavior
What are the three aspects of experiment?
- control and manipulation
- random assignment
- comparison
have a control group and experimental group
– greater control
– limited realism and generalizability
survey
– low cost, ease of analysis
– however, more recall bias and issues with questions, limited depth
self-monitoring
- participants observe and record thier own behavior with specific events over specific time
- detailed and external validity
- however, compliance issues, selective reporting, limited generalizability
interview
types:
- structured: predetermined questions
- unstructured: explores topics, more conversations
- semi-structured: somewhere in between
– flexibility, in depth, clarification
– however, time and resource confusing, low desirability, intrusiveness
focus group
loosely structured interview with trained moderator among small group of informants –> helps iwht group dynamics
What is descriptive research?
study that describe and characterize phenomenon without manipulation (no iv and dv)
What is correlation research?
investigate relationship between 2 or more vairables
What are the two types of correlational study?
cross-sectional study: single occassion
longitudinal study: over a period of time, multiple occasions
What are the three main research methods?
- descriptive (just detects natural)
- correlational (detects natural, selects specific)
- experimental (just selects specific)
How do we draw conclusions?
- summarize results
- hypothesis: rejects or accepted?
- apply theory and/or explain it
- recommend for further study
What is a theory?
General explanation of a phenomenon
reality is explanation for theory
theory is confirmation for reality
