Research methods Flashcards
What is the “Use of Reason” as a way of knowing?
The Use of Reason means relying on logic to arrive at conclusions. You take known facts and use logical steps to reach a new idea. For example:
Premise 1: All humans are mortal.
Premise 2: John is a human.
Conclusion: Therefore, John is mortal.
It’s a method of thinking through ideas to figure things out.
What is Empiricism?
Empiricism is the process of learning through direct observation and experience rather than relying on reasoning or authority
Explain empirical question
An empirical question is one that can be answered through observation and data collection, such as “Does stress affect the immune system?”
What is Confirmation bias?
Confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that supports your beliefs while ignoring evidence that contradicts them. (not caring about other information, just one)
What is belief perseverance?
Belief perseverance is the tendency to hold on to a belief even when there’s evidence that disproves it.
Explain Availability heuristic
when you judge how often something happens based on how easily you can think of examples of it. If something is easy to remember, you might believe it happens more often than it actually does.
Example:
If you recently watched a lot of news about plane crashes, you might start thinking that plane crashes happen all the time, even though they are actually very rare. You believe they happen more often just because they are fresh in your memory.
What are determinism and discoverability in science?
Determinism: The belief that events, including behaviors, have causes. In psychology, it means that behaviors have specific reasons or causes.
Discoverability: The idea that using scientific methods, we can discover the causes of events or behaviors.
Give an example of determinism
If someone becomes anxious before giving a speech, determinism suggests that there are reasons (like past experiences or personality traits) that cause the anxiety.
Give an example of discoverbility
Psychologists can use experiments and observations to discover why certain people experience more anxiety in certain situations.
How does science make systematic observations?
- Precise definitions of the phenomena being studied.
- Reliable and valid measuring tools to collect data.
- Accepted research methods that are widely used in the scientific community.
- Logical conclusions based on the data, fitting them into general theories.
How does science produce public knowledge and maintain objectivity?
Public knowledge: Scientific findings are shared so others can verify or replicate them.
Objectivity: Scientists aim to stay unbiased, but in psychology, complete objectivity can be challenging due to the complexity of human behavior.
What is Introspection?
A method where participants are asked to perform a task and then give a detailed description of their conscious experiences during the task. It involves reflecting on one’s own thoughts, feelings, and sensations
Explain Tentative conclusions
Means Scientific conclusions are open to change. As new research emerges, conclusions may be revised or refined. Science is an ongoing process, and findings are always subject to further investigation.
What is empirical questions?
questions that can be investigated by collecting and analyzing data.
Example: “What are the effects of psychological stress on the immune system?” This question can be studied by observing stress levels and measuring immune responses.
Explain falsifiable
Meaning a theory can be tested and potentially disproven by data.
Explain empiricism
knowledge should come from experience and be gained through systematic observation and experiments. This approach replaced more speculative methods of understanding human behavior, like relying on intuition or authority.
Whats the the 4 goals of research in psychology?
The goals of research in psychology are to describe behaviors, predict future actions, explain why behaviors occur, and apply findings to improve people’s lives. Each goal builds on the others to enhance our understanding of human behavior.
What is the first goal of research in psychology?
Describe: Observing and noting down what people do or how they behave.
Example: Describing behaviors at a party, like chatting or being shy.
What is the second goal of research in psychology?
Predict: Anticipating what might happen in the future based on past observations.
Example: Predicting irritability in someone who hasn’t slept well.
What is the third goal of research in psychology?
Explain: Finding out the reasons behind certain behaviors.
Example: Explaining that stress leads to anxiety, affecting exam performance.
What is the fourth goal of research in psychology?
Apply: Using research findings to help people in real-life situations.
Example: Using effective methods from research to help reduce anxiety in therapy.
What is epistemology?
Study of knowledge
What is APA?
American Psychology Association. setting guidelines for research, writing, and ethical practices
What is the empirical method?
a systematic approach to conducting research that relies on experimentation and systematic observation rather than theories or speculation.
What are key characteristics of the empirical method?
Objective: Minimizes personal biases and focuses on observable phenomena.
Data Collection: Uses experiments, surveys, and direct observations.
Reliability and Validity: Produces consistent and accurate results.
Hypothesis Testing: Involves testing hypotheses through research.
Why is the empirical method important in psychology?
It allows psychologists to explore complex human behaviors and mental processes, ensuring findings are based on evidence rather than assumptions.
What is the Inductive Method?
The inductive method starts with specific observations and uses them to form general conclusions or theories.
Example: Observing that various dogs bark at strangers leads to the conclusion that “All dogs bark at strangers.”
What is the Deductive Method?
The deductive method begins with general principles and applies them to specific cases, working from the top down.
Example:
General Principle: “All birds have feathers.”
Specific Case: “A sparrow is a bird.”
Conclusion: “Therefore, a sparrow has feathers.
What is the Abductive Method?
The abductive method starts with incomplete observations and seeks the best or most likely explanation for them. Involves generating hypotheses or diagnoses based on what is observed.
Example: Noticing students failing math tests and hypothesizing reasons like ineffective teaching or lack of study.
What is the Hypothetico-Deductive Method?
The hypothetico-deductive method involves forming a hypothesis based on existing theories and testing it through experimentation.
Example:
Observation: “Some animals become aggressive in certain environments.”
Hypothesis: “Increased noise levels lead to more aggressive behavior.”
Prediction: “If noise increases, animals will exhibit more aggression.”
Explain the steps in “the research process”
Make an observation: Notice something in the natural world that sparks curiosity.
Ask a question: Formulate a question based on the observation.
Form a hypothesis: Propose a possible explanation (hypothesis) that answers the question.
Make a prediction: Predict what will happen if the hypothesis is correct (often in the form of “If… then…”).
Do an experiment: Test the prediction by conducting a controlled experiment.
Analyze the results: Examine the data to see if the prediction holds true.
If the hypothesis is correct, you move forward.
If the hypothesis is incorrect, revise it and try again.
Report results: Share the findings with others, whether the hypothesis was correct or not.
What is a non-experimental study? and what is the 3 different types?
A non-experimental study observes and collects data without manipulating variables. It focuses on relationships or behaviors as they naturally occur
- Observational studies
- Survey studies
- Qualitative studies
Explain Observational studies by example
Studying Children’s Playground Behavior where the researcher sits and observe from a distance
Survey studies
In survey research, the researcher collects data by asking participants a series of questions, typically through a questionnaire or interview. (Quantitative data)
What is qualitative studies?
A qualitative study is a research method used to explore and understand people’s experiences, behaviors, thoughts, and social contexts in depth. It focuses on gathering non-numerical data, often in the form of words. (qualitative)
Explain what the Dependent Variable and Independent Variable is
The dependent variable is the factor that is measured or observed in an experiment to see how it responds to changes in the independent variable.
The independent variable is the factor that the researcher manipulates or changes in an experiment to determine its effect on the dependent variable.
Give an example of a experimental ressearh
Explain correlation vs causation
Correlation: When two things change together (e.g., more ice cream sales and more drownings in summer).
Note: Just because they change together doesn’t mean one causes the other!
Causation: When one thing directly causes another (e.g., studying more leads to better test scores).
Note: Causation shows a direct effect.
