Scientific Research & Ethics Flashcards
Empiricism
States that the only source of knowledge is our senses – e.g., sight, hearing, etc; in philosophy, the belief that knowledge is derived from observable, measurable experiences and evidence, rather than from intuition or speculation
Rationalism
Says that knowledge can be gained solely through the powers of reason and logical argument
Features of science
empirical evidence, objectivity, control, hypothesis testing, replication, and predictability
Humanism
A psychological perspective that emphasizes the study of the whole person
Humanistic Approach
Argues that objective reality is less important than a person’s subjective perception and subjective understanding of the world
Paradigm
The particular viewpoint that a scientist has
Hypotheses
Proposed explanations for a fairly narrow set of phenomena
Theories
Broad explanations for a wide range of phenomena (often integrate and generalize many hypotheses)
Naturalistic Observation
A researcher unobtrusively collects information without the participant’s awareness
Structured Observation
Researchers can set up a situation and observe that participant’s behavior
Self-Report Method
Participants are asked to provide information or responses to questions on a survey or structure assessment
Psychophysiological Method
Using technological devices to measure what is taking place in the body
Archival Method
Examining data that has already been collected for other purposes
Longitudinal Study
Recruits a sample of subjects and tracks them for an extended period of time
Cross-Sectional Study
Gathers participants of different ages and looks for differences between the groups
Case Studies
Research can conduct a detailed analysis of a particular person, group, business, event, etc. We tend to use this approach to learn more about especially interesting or rare examples with the goal of describing that particular thing.
Correlational Designs
Two different variables are measured to determine whether there is a relationship between them (Measuring variables only)
Controlled Experiments
Researchers create a controlled environment in which they can carefully manipulate at least one variable to test its effect on another (Allowed to change variables)
Operationalization
The process of strictly defining variables into measurable factors (being specific basically; defines the exact measuring method used, and allows other scientists to follow exactly the same methodology)
Placebo Effect
Experiencing what you expect to happen rather than what’s really happening
Rosenthal Effect / Pygmalion Effect / Researcher Bias
A researcher’s own expectations of what the results will be could subconsciously influence the way that participants are treated (acting slightly more friendly) or how things are measured (grading essays)
Demand Characteristics
If participants are aware of the purpose of the study, their behavior may change (Different from placebo because it isn’t based off of the participants’ own expectations)
Social Desirability
Some things are difficult to measure, like prejudice, sexual behavior, and addiction, because people are often reluctant to talk honestly in fear of negative social judgments. Instead, they may offer what they believe are socially desirable responses or behavior.
Between-Subjects Experimental Designs
Have different groups of participants (using random assignment) who experience different “levels” of the independent variable
Within-Subjects Designs
Have participants experience both levels of the independent variable and measure the dependent variable twice. To rule out the possibility that order effects are biasing the results, we have to counterbalance the order using random assignment.
Principles for ethical research
Voluntary participation, informed consent, risk of harm, confidentiality & anonymity
Institutional Review Board
A panel of persons who reviews grant proposals with respect to ethical implications and decides whether additional actions need to be taken to assure the safety and rights of participants
Conceptual Replication
A study that tests the same hypothesis but with different operationalizations (“Pets make you happy”, test using dogs or no dogs, replicate using cats)
Direct Replication
Another researcher doing the exact same method that I used to test my hypothesis (“Pets make you happy”, test using dogs or no dogs, replicate using dogs)
