Studying Behaviour Scientifically - Research Methods and Correlation Flashcards
Observational Research
If you want to understand a phenomenon, you typical need to star by making observations about it.
Naturalistic Observation
The goal of naturalistic observation is to make observations of BEHAVIOUR in a NATURAL setting
Ethology
Aims to study animal behaviour “on its own terms”
Which means attempts at creating natural circumstances are heavily relied upon
Ex. The “Rat Park” experiment by Bruce Alexander showed that addictive behaviour towards morphine was a product of environmental influences more than the drug itself.
Naturalistic Observation - Peer Dynamics
Young children act different around adults
If we want to study child peer-dynamics, ethological concepts like “studying the animal on its own terms” becomes relevant
ex.
What are one of the strengths of Naturalistic Observation?
The ability to study PHENOMENA that we simply could not expect to occur in artificial conditions
Limitations of Naturalistic Observation
CONSIDERATION
- Need a way to record or detail events
- Ethical issue of concealment
- Loss of objectivity of observer when immersed
- Time-Consuming (Don’t know when relevant things will happen”
LIMITATIONS
- No control over the environment means low internal validity
Systematic Observation
In contrast to naturalistic observation, SYSTEMATIC observation attempts to study behaviour in a CONSTRAINED SETTING
Is typically motivated by hypotheses rather than exploration of pheonomenon
Case Studies
Due to irregularities or other noteworthy significance, it could be informative to study the life and behaviour of a single person. Rather than a group of normal ppl
Psychotherapeutic techniques rely heavily on case study techniques - they aim to throughly understand an individuals history, unique problems, causes, an solutions in their life
They are also used extensively in euro research of brain damage patients. To find unique behaviours, and understand how they’re tied to brain damage.
Ex. H.M and Phineas Gage are famous case study patients, that gave us insight into functioning of hippocampus and prefrontal cortex
Case Study Benefits and Considerations
BENEFITS
- Provides ability to study rare events
CONSIDERATIONS
- Possibly issues of respect and welfare (Feral Children)
- Possible issues of external validity
- Loss of objectivity
Survey Methods
Surveys survey peoples beliefs and attitudes, not their behaviours.
Sometimes used for studying hard-to-observe behaviours
Ex. Observing sexual behaviour, just because its helpful doesn’t mean that it has validity
Interviews Vs. Surveys Benefits and Costs
BENEFIT
- Response rates
- Accuracy
COSTS
- Monetary time and cost
- Interviewer bias
Internet Polling
Companies are using online surveys and opinion polls to engage customers and to build brand loyalty.
They can go horribly wrong, or right.
Trolling and grieving are realistic problems that need to be considered
Ex. Pitbull and the wall mart poll
Random Sampling
People are picked at random from a pop
Equal change of being chosen
Population are proportionally represented within the sample
(If you are picked non-randomly, then theres a chance of bias)
Random Vs. Stratified Sampling
Stratified sampling is used in place of random sampling when there are low-probability subgroups you are interested in representing.
Response Rates
Refers to a proportion of individuals who actually respond to a survey.
Lower response rates tend to be biased responses.
Correlation
Correlation tests are used to detect whether two types of measures are related to each other.
When a change in one variable are accompanied by a change in another, they are correlated
Psychology is often interested in correlations
- Does aggression increase in frequency of video game playing?
- Does job salary increase with scores of IQ tests?
Scatterplots
Correlations can be visualized using scatter plotting
- Observe two variables in conjunction
- Repeat for multiple situations (for different people)
- Plot these pairs with one variable on the X axis, and the other on Y-Axis
Correlation Strength
We can see how strong a correlation is by looking at the scatter plot, and see how close it is clustered to the line
We can calculate a correlation coefficient (Referred to as R) for a mathematical estimate of strength
Causation
Causation does not imply correlation
Cause and Effect
To establish cause and effect, we must perform an EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION
The Logic of an Experiment
If two situations results in different behaviours, that difference must be caused by difference between situations
If only ONE difference was there, then we can imply that that ONE difference is the causation factor.
In practice, its very difficult to have only one difference between two situations
Basic Design of an Experiment
PARTICIPANTS
(Sample)
Then random assignment to TWO GROUPS
(Independent Variable)
- Experimental Group
- Control Group
THEN
Measurements of both of the groups
(Dependent variable)
Ex.
Suppose we want to study the effects of lighting conditions on attention.
CONDITIONS
- Fluorescent light
- Natural light
- Simulated natural light
DEPENDENT VARIABLE
Number of times participants look away from a book while reading a short story
ASSIGNMENT
- Morning (fluorescent light)
- Afternoon (natural light)
- Evening (simulated natural light)
