Research Methods

Question 1

Hindsight Bias

Answer 1

Belief that an outcome was foreseeable (after it has occurred)
- “knew it all along” effect

Question 2

Why do we need to use the scientific methods to study psychology?

Answer 2

• The scientific method helps reduce bias.
• Allows us to study a phenomenon in a systematic way. We can build up evidence in support of a theory.

Question 3

What are the steps in the Scientific Method?

Answer 3

1. Theory
2. Hypothesis
3. Research
4. Support or refute/fail to support theory

If support, refine with new hypothesis and research

If refute, discard, or revise your theory

Question 4

Define Theory

Answer 4

A theory:
- Describes general principles about how variables relate to one another
- Organize and explain data that are observed
- Enable us to make predictions about new situations

Question 5

Define Hypothesis

Answer 5

A hypothesis is a prediction

Question 6

What makes a good theory?

Answer 6

Falsifiable
- There are multiple ways to show if a theory is false

Question 7

What makes a good hypothesis?

Answer 7

• Specific and testable

Question 8

Define correlational designs

Answer 8

Measure of how closely two variables vary together
Variables are measured and not manipulated

Question 9

Define:
- Positive correlation
- Negative correlation
- Zero correlation

Answer 9

Positive correlation:
- Both variables increase or decrease together

Negative correlation:
- One variable increases when the other decreases

Zero correlation:
- One variable is not predictively related to the other

Question 10

Operational

Answer 10

A description of a property in concrete measurable terms.
- For example, if you want to study internet use you would look at:
- Time spent on website
- Number of web pages visited
- Data used in gigabites

Question 11

Limitations of correlational designs

Answer 11

Correlation cannot infer causation

Question 12

Benefits of correlational designs

Answer 12

• Can sometimes be a more ethical approach
• Establishing relationships/making predictions can inspire experiments

Question 13

Definition of a true experiment

Answer 13

We manipulate one variable and measure its effects on another vairable

Question 14

Steps in Scientific Investigation

Answer 14

1. Formulate a testable hypothesis
2. Select the research method and design the study
3. Collect the data
4. Analyze the data
5. Report the findings

Question 15

Confounding variable

Answer 15

A confounding variable is an outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable. This makes it difficult to determine the exact relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Question 16

Define independent variable

Answer 16

Variable that is manipulated

Question 17

Define dependent variable

Answer 17

The behavior that is being measured

Question 18

Defining the IV, what are the requirements?

Answer 18

• Must be manipulated
• Participants must be randomly assigned
• Must operationally define (what type of thing/manipulation are participants getting?)

Question 19

Defining the DV, what are the requirements?

Answer 19

• Measure the DV
• Operational definition: type of measurement, scale of measurement.

Question 20

How do we ensure groups are ‘equal’?

Answer 20

Random assignment

Question 21

Define random assignment

Answer 21

assigning participants randomly to experimental conditions

Question 22

How do we select participants for the study?

Answer 22

Random sampling

Question 23

Define random sampling

Answer 23

Every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 24

Define convenience sampling

Answer 24

This sample consists of people who are conveniently available for the study

Question 25

Benefits of experimental designs

Answer 25

• Can infer causation
• Precise control over variables can eliminate alternative explations

Question 26

Drawbacks of experimental design

Answer 26

• May be impractical or unethical to address certain types of research questions using an experimental design
• Highly controlled lab settings can make generalization of findings to the real world more difficult

Question 27

Placebo Effect

Answer 27

When receiving special treatment or something new affects human behavior

Question 28

How to avoid the placebo effect?

Answer 28

• Create a control for placebo effect:
• Control group (sugar pill vs. real pill)
• Participants must be blind to conditions

Question 29

Define experimental bias

Answer 29

The experimenter’s expectations influence the outcome of a study

Example: Experimenters might see what they want to see or behave/treat participants differently

Question 30

How to avoid experimenter bias?

Answer 30

Double-blind approach

Question 31

Define double-blind

Answer 31

A double-blind experimental setup is a study design in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment. This method is used to eliminate bias in research results.

Question 32

Demand characteristics

Answer 32

Participants form an interpretation of an experiment’s purpose and subconsciously change their behavior

Question 33

Quasi-Experimental Designs

Answer 33

• Similar to experimental research but there is no random assignment to conditions
• Relies on existing group membership (gender, married vs. single, age groups)
• It may be more difficult to infer causality
• Still have an IV but not directly manipulating it

Question 34

Converging operations

Answer 34

A research strategy where a variety of research techniques are used to investigate or converge upon a particular experimental or research result.

Question 35

Define replication

Answer 35

The process of repeating a study and finding similar outcome each time