Scientific Methods in Psychology

Question 1

What separates psychology from philosophy?

Answer 1

scientific methods

Question 2

What do scientific methods provide for psychology?

Answer 2

systematic ways for evaluating ideas

Question 3

What is confirmation bias? Give an example.

Answer 3

The tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories.
- For ex: politicians evaluated data on public services effectiveness evaluation accuracy depended on their prior personal beliefs

Question 4

What are the goals of phycological research and psychology?

Answer 4

To describe, predict, explain, and control

Question 5

What is the scientific method?

Answer 5

A systematic procedure of observing and measuring phenomena

Question 6

What are the different parts of the scientific method?

Answer 6

theory, hypothesis, research, evaluation

Question 7

What are scientific laws? Give an example.

Answer 7

Descriptions of phenomenon
- For ex: law of gravitation

Question 8

What is a Variable?

Answer 8

something measured and/ or manipulated

Question 9

What are operational definitions?

Answer 9

descriptions of a variable and how it’s quantified

Question 10

What are population studies?
Give an example of one.
What are some difficulties with them?

Answer 10

• A study where everyone from a given study is studied
• Ex: the census is a population study of the US
• Getting data from an entire population is difficult

Question 11

What is sampling? What can it do to data?

Answer 11

• selecting a subgroup of people at hand
• it can shape data in subtle ways

Question 12

What is random sampling? What group of people should it represent? What are some challenges that come with this technique?

Answer 12

• a part of the sampling technique in which each sample has an equal probability of being chosen.
• the whole population should be equally represented (if sample is truly random and large enough
• it is expensive and nearly impossible

Question 13

What is the best technique/ way to go about a study?

Answer 13

random sampling

Question 14

What is convenience sampling?
Give an example.
How can it shape data?

Answer 14

• sampling from people at hand
• ex: exit polling only measures those who will talk to you
• can shape data subtly

Question 15

What are the 3 broad types of psychological studies?

Answer 15

Descriptive, correlative, experimental

Question 16

What is the aim of descriptive studies?

Answer 16

to describe and potentially predict behaviors

Question 17

What are the 3 types of descriptive studies?

Answer 17

case studies, observational studies, self-report and interviews

Question 18

What is a case study?
When do case studies usually take place? (in relation to the study “entity”)

Answer 18

• focused observations on one individual or entity
• when the entity or individual is doing something very well or very bad

Question 19

What are the 2 types of observational studies? Describe them.

Answer 19

• Participant observation - the researcher is involved in what they’re observing
• Naturalistic observation - the researcher passively observed without attempting to alter behaviors

Question 20

What are self-report studies and interviews?
How is each of them beneficial?

Answer 20

• self-report - usually a survey or questionnaire on the topic of interest. This allows for quick and easy recruitment of many people
• Interviews - participants are interviewed by a trained interviewer. This is useful for those who can’t complete surveys and allows for follow-up of themes and content

Question 21

What are correlative studies? What do they look for? How can they be helpful?

Answer 21

• studies that establish and look for relationships between 2 or more variables
• they can help predict behaviors

Question 22

What is the 3rd body problem associated with correlation studies?

Answer 22

• unmeasured variables could always be at play in the relationship between the two measured variables
• Variable “z” may cause both x and y

Question 23

Why aren’t experiments always conducted for correlation studies?

Answer 23

• ethical concerns
• experiments may not be realistic or possible
• we might not know enough about topic to propose an experiment

Question 24

What are the purposes of experimental studies?

Answer 24

• to establish behaviors and casual relationships through manipulation and control

Question 25

What is the difference between the independent and dependent variable

Answer 25

• Independent variable - the variable we change and manipulate
• Dependent variable - the variable of interest which is dependent upon the independent variable

Question 26

What entails demand characteristics within study bias?

Answer 26

• Reactivity - the act of being observed changes how people behave
• The Hawthorne effect - positive reactivity where individuals perform better b/c of observation

Question 27

What is observer expectancy?

Answer 27

observer expectations can change observations
(bias interpretations to be in line with the expectations and change behavior of those they’re observing)