Psych 101 Ch 2

Question 1

3 Things That Make People Difficult to Study

Answer 1

Complexity
Variability
Reactivity

Question 2

Scientific Approach

Answer 2

Theory- a hypothetical explanation
Hypothesis- a falsifiable prediction inspired by theory
Gather evidence
Modify theory

Question 3

Case Studies

Answer 3

A case study is a detailed description of an individual
Observations, formal psychologist testing, drawings, clinical interviews

Question 4

Observational Studies

Answer 4

Researcher observes, measures, and records, behavior while trying to avoid intruding on people being observed
Studying many people
Naturalistic observation- natural setting observation
Laboratory observation- in a lab

Question 5

Problems with observational studies

Answer 5

Presence of resrearcher will change how people behave
Only correlation and not casual
(Do not answer, only observe)

Question 6

Psychological Test Assessment

Answer 6

Measure personality traits, emotional states, IQ, abilities
Objective tests- measure beliefs, feelings, or behaviors of which people are aware
Projective tests
Standardized test- scores are based on NORM

Question 7

Assessment and Reliability

Answer 7

Test must be reliable- produce same result across time, place, and scorer
Test-retest availability- but people tend to do better the second time
Alternate forms reliability- multiple choice/true/false

Question 8

Assessment and Validity

Answer 8

A test must also be valid- it must measure what it sets out to measure
Construct validity- items broadly represent traits in question
Predict Validity- ability to predict others measures of the trait in question, related traits

Question 9

Assessment and Power

Answer 9

Power- the ability of a measure to detect a difference if one exists
No false negative

Question 10

Surveys

Answer 10

Questionnaire and interviews that gather info on people
Need representative sample: a group of students that accurately represent the larger population the researcher wishes to describe

Question 11

Problems with Surveys

Answer 11

Volunteer bias- call radio station, social anxiety study
Not necessarily the correct people
People lie- people want to be seen in a good light, they can misinterpret the question or misremember the past
Researcher bias- Can phrase questions (or leave questions out) based on biases

Question 12

Types of Studies

Answer 12

Correlational studies- a descriptive study that looks for a consistent relationship between two phenomena
Correlation- a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another

Question 13

Cautions about Correlations

Answer 13

A does not necessarily mean B Correlation does not establish causation

Question 14

Experiments: Hunting for Cases

Answer 14

An experiment- a controlled test of a hypothesis in which a researcher manipulates one variable to discover its effect on another- can draw conclusions about what causes what

Question 15

Control Groups

Answer 15

Need a control group to be sure that the behavior you are interested in would not have occurred anyway

Question 16

Experimental Effects

Answer 16

Experiments can influence the results of a study (facial expressions (smile), tone of voice)
Rosenthal- had a bunch of rats, time rats to learn maze, bright rats figured it out faster, rats are exactly the same, people get a bias when told something

Question 17

Possible Solutions

Answer 17

Single blind study- participants don’t know which group they are in
- helpful to not know purpose of study
Double blind study- both participant and researcher don’t know which is the placebo and which is the real one
- prevents influencing results
- experimenter doesn’t know either

Question 18

Two Types of Experiments

Answer 18

Cross sectional- a study in which subject of different ages are studied at a given time
Longitudinal- a study in which subjects are followed and periodically assessed over a period of time

Question 19

Ethical Concerns

Answer 19

General Principle- psychologist strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm
All experiments cause some stress and anxiety

Question 20

Code of Ethics

Answer 20

Informed consent- a written agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who has been informed of all the risks
Freedom from coercion
Risk-benefit analysis
debriefing- a verbal description of the true nature and purpose of a study that psychologist provide to people after they have participated in the study

Question 21

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Answer 21

African American men are tested for syphilis, they are watched over a long period of time to see effects of disease even though a cure has been out for a while already. Men suffer and die from disease and were never told about the cure.