RESEARCH METHODS Flashcards
Theory Data-Cycle
Scientific Method & Empiricism
- Design Hypothesis
- observe/collect Data
- Interpret Data
- Refine idea/theory
- Idea/theory
systematic, objective observations
not based on experience or intuition
Experience vs Intuition
Experience:
tested theory
Intuition:
-subjective feeling about what makes sense
Terminology: Idea, Theory, Hypothesis, Prediction
Idea: Unorganized principles or thoughts about behaviour
Theory: Organized set of principles, which state how a set of
psychological variables are related to one another
Hypothesis: Statement of a relationship between two variables
–Derived, or taken from, theories
Prediction: Assertion about what will happen in a
particular study
what variable cannot be manipulated?
grade point avg
Operational Defintions
-specify an exact process to determine levels of value of variables
-turn a variable into a number so it can be analyzed
E.g. Self-reporting: I have had 4 drinks, on a scale, I am 9, “very drunk”
Descriptive Research
-focus on one variable to describe what is a typical result
-asks “what do ppl avg?”
E.g. hours college students play video games
Population of Interest
- larger set of individuals
E.g North Americans, ppl who drink Starbucks
Biased vs Random Sampling
-choosing easy to reach out to members
-random is pulling names out hat or dialling a random #
Naturalistic Observation
- observe behaviour of animals and ppl int their everyday environments
Observational methods
-provides good measurement of behaviour since ppl may no self report accurately
Correlational Research
-measure two or more variables to understand relationship btwn them
E.g Are the rich less generous then the poor
-uses scatterplot
Scatter plot
dot that slopes upwards from left to right = more indication of success
bottom left corner = low
Experimental Research
-support casual statement
E.g. Alchohol leads to aggression
-requires independent (cause) and dependent variable (effect)
-experimental group and control
E.g. Independent Variable: Amount of time spent studying (e.g., 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours)
Dependent Variable: Test scores or grades received on an exam
Describe 3 characteristics of good experiments :
Correlation
- stronger the better our predictions will be
-weak, moderate, and strong
-first criteria:two variables correlated
-second criteria: which variable came first
-third criteria:no alternative explanation
Random Sampling vs Random Assignment
Random Sampling:
-random selection
Random Assignment:
-used only for experiment
