mod 1 research designs

Question 1

What are experimental studies?

Answer 1

In an experimental study, the researcher is trying to determine causality by manipulating one or more variables.

Question 2

What is the correlational method

Answer 2

In a correlational study, the researcher is trying to examine whether two (or more) variables are naturally related to each other.

Question 3

What is a case study?

Answer 3

ith a case study, the researcher is trying to examine 1 or more individuals (but typically fewer than 10 participants) in-depth to generate a new theory or study a rare phenomenon.

Question 4

What are two key requirements for an experiment?

Answer 4

1) manipulation of one or more variables
variable thought to be the influence is manipulated
2) ensuring that participants in each experimental condition are equivalent to
each other at the beginning of the study
Random assignment
Counterbalancing

Question 5

What is random assignment? What is counterbalancing?

Answer 5

• • Random assignment
    ○ Between subject designs
    ○ -each person within both conditions

Counterbalancing
○ Within subject designs - change order the participants do the study to cancel out certain effects

Question 6

According to your textbook, what are some of the advantages and disadvantages to experimental methods?

Answer 6

answering. The experimental method is ide-
ally suited for establishing causal relationships among variables. For example, it can be used to determine

whether noisy conditions hamper the performance of introverts but not of extraverts. On the other hand, the

experimental method is poor at identifying the relationships among variables as they occur naturally in every-
day life. Moreover, it may be impractical or unethical to use the experimental method for some questions.

Question 7

What is a correlation?

Answer 7

a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.

Question 8

What does it mean when a correlation is positive or negative?

Answer 8

−1.00. That is, the variables of interest can be
positively related to each other (+.01 to +1.00), unrelated to each other (0.00), or negatively related to each
other (−.01 to −1.00).
positive = both move in same direction
negative = move inversely to each other

Question 9

What are the possible interpretations of a correlation?

Answer 9

convention. Correlations around .10 are considered
small; those around .30 are considered medium; and those around .50 or greater are considered large

Question 10

Describe the directionality problem and the third variable problem.

Answer 10

directionality problem - if A and B are correlated, we do not know if A is the
cause of B or if B is the cause of A
othird variable problem: 2 variables might be correlated because a third,
unknown variable is causing both

Question 11

what are some of the advantages and disadvantages to correlational studies?

Answer 11

ideally suited for establishing the relationships between 2+ variables that occur in
everyday life
poor at establishing causality

Question 12

Can you think of some examples of case studies?

Answer 12

-1997): the case of Dodge
Morgan, who, at the age of 54, completed a nonstop solo circumnavigation of Earth by small boat. The case
study is a highly readable account of this interesting man undertaking an almost impossible task. The focus

is on how Mr. Morgan’s early life experiences formed a particular adult personality, which led him to under-
take the extreme act of going around the world alone in a small boat.
-Case Study: The Serial Killer Ted Bundy - All case studies of Bundy revealed,
however, that he shared many traits with other
serial killers. He had a “classic” psychopathic personality—characterized by grandiosity, extreme sense of
entitlement, preoccupation with unrealistic fantasies of success and power, lack of empathy for other people,
a long history of deceitfulness, repeated failures to meet normally expected obligations of school and work,
and high levels of interpersonal exploitativeness and socially disruptive behaviour.

Question 13

what are some of the advantages and disadvantages to case studies?

Answer 13

Researchers can
find out about personality in great detail, which rarely can
be achieved if the study includes large samples. Case studies
can give researchers insights into personality that can then
be used to formulate a more general theory to be tested on a
larger population.l

imitations. The most important
one is that findings based on one individual cannot be generalized to other people.