psandca1 Flashcards
this research area combines biology and psychology. Researchers in this area typically study brain organization or the chemicals within the brain (neurotransmitters).
Psychobiology
Researchers who study in this field are interested in how humans process, store, and retrieve information; solve problems; use reasoning and logic; make decisions; and use language.
scientists study the mind.
Cognition
Psychologists in this area conduct research on the physical, social, and cognitive development of humans. This might involve research from the prenatal development period throughout the life span to research on the elderly (gerontology).
Human Development
psychologists in this are are interested in how we view and affect one another. Research in this area combines the disciplines of psychology and sociology, in that psychologists in this field are typically interested in how being part of a group affects the individual.
Social Psychology
is designed to assess whether a therapy is effective in helping individuals. Might patients have improved without the therapy, or did they improve simply because they thought the therapy was supposed to help?
Psychotherapy
means acquiring knowledge that is based on subjective feelings, interpreting random events as nonrandom events, or believing in magical events.
Knowledge via superstition
it means that we have knowledge of something without being consciously aware of where the knowledge came from. You have probably heard people say things like “I don’t know, it’s just a gut feeling” or “I don’t know, it just came to me, and I know it’s true.”
Knowledge via intuition
When we gain knowledge and accept what a respected or famous person tells us
As you were growing up, your parents provided you with information that, for the most part, you did not question, especially when you were very young. You believed that they knew what they were talking about, and thus you accepted the answers they gave you.
Authority
involves hearing a piece of information so often that you begin to believe it is true, and then, despite evidence to the contrary, you cling stubbornly to the belief.
This method is often used in political campaigns, where a slogan is repeated so often that we begin to believe it.
Tenacity
Gaining knowledge that involves logical reasoning. With this approach, ideas are precisely stated, and logical rules are applied to arrive at logically sound conclusion. Presented in a form of syllogism
All humans are mortal;
I am a human;
Therefore, I am mortal.
Attractive people are good;
Nellie is attractive;
Therefore, Nellie is good.
Rationalism
involves gaining knowledge through objective observation and the experiences of your senses. An individual who says “I believe nothing until I see it with my own eyes”
Empiricism
involves a merger of rationalism and empiricism. Scientists collect data (make empirical observations) and test hypotheses with these data (assess them using rationalism).
Science
is a prediction regarding the outcome of a study. This prediction concerns the potential relationship between at least two variables
Hypothesis
simply observing a series of events does not lead to scientific knowledge. The observations must be made in a systematic manner to test a hypothesis and develop or refute a theory (in other words, empiricism, and rationalism).
Systematic Empiricism
This means that the research is presented to the public in such a way that it can be observed, replicated, criticized, and tested for veracity by others. Most commonly, this involves submitting the research to a scientific journal for possible publication.
Publicly Verifiable Knowledge
questions that are potentially answerable by means of currently available research techniques. If a theory cannot be tested using empirical techniques, then scientists are not interested in it.
Empirically Solvable Problems
—the idea that a scientific theory must be stated in such a way that it is possible to refute or disconfirm it.
principle of falsifiability
The first step in understanding anything is to give it a name. It involves observing a behavior and noting everything about it
-provide the observation
Description: What is happening?
allows us to identify the causes that determine when and why a behavior occurs.
helps to build a theory
Explanation: Why is it happening?
Determining what will happen in the future
Prediction: When it will happen again?
The goal is to change a behavior from an undesirable one (such as failing in school) to a desirable one (such as academic success)
also include attempts at improving the quality of life.
Control: How can it be changed?
- specifying a problem, justifying it, suggesting the need to study it
Identifying a problem
-locating, selecting, summarizing, resources
Reviewing Literature
- Identify the purpose, narrow the purpose to questions
Specifying Purpose
-selecting samples, obtaining permissions, gathering info
Collecting Data
-breaking down data, representing and explaining the data
Analyzing, Interpreting Data
is a brief description of the entire paper that typically discusses each section of the paper (Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion).
Abstract
has three basic components: an introduction to the problem under study; a review of relevant previous research, which cites works that are pertinent to the issue but not works of marginal or peripheral significance; and the purpose and rationale for the study.
Introduction
describes exactly how the study was conducted, in sufficient detail that a person who reads this section could replicate the study.
is generally divided into Subjects (or Participants), Materials (or Apparatus), and Procedure subsections
Method
summarizes the data collected and the type of statistic(s) used to analyze the data.
the results of the statistical tests used are reported with respect to the variables measured and/or manipulated. This section should include a description of the results only,
Results
The results are evaluated and interpreted
Discussion
is typically made up of several faculty members, usually from diverse backgrounds, and members of the community who are charged with evaluating research projects in which human subjects are used.
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
is given to individuals before they participate in a research study to inform them of the general nature of the study and to obtain their consent to participate in the study.
Informed consent
involves lying to subjects about the true nature of a study because knowing the true nature of the study might affect their performance.
Deception
means providing information about the true purpose of the study as soon after the completion of data collection as possible.
Debriefing
