Week 1: The Scientific Method

Question 1

What is the scientific method?

Answer 1

An approach to acquiring knowledge that involves formulating specific questions and systematically finding answers. In other words, a method of acquiring knowledge.

Question 2

Identify the five main steps of the scientific method

Answer 2

1) Observe behaviour
2) Form a tentative hypothesis
3) Use hypothesis to make testable prediction
4) Evaluate the prediction by making systematic, planned observations
5) Use observations to support, refute, refine original hypothesis

Question 3

What is deductive reasoning/ deduction?

Answer 3

Uses a big, general statement about something to comment on a conclusion about a singular, specific example.
Think deductive = decrease.
E.g. All green apples are sour, therefore if I eat this green apple, it will be sour.

Question 4

What is inductive reasoning /induction?

Answer 4

Involves using a relatively small set of specific observations to comment on a general, big statement about something.
Think inductive = increase
E.g. I ate three green apples and all were sour, therefore all green apples are sour.

Question 5

What do we mean by ‘science’?

Answer 5

> Attempting to understand the world and its workings objectively.
Avoiding dogma/beliefs (we need evidence!)
Involves using error-detection mechanisms
Involves empiricism: idea that all knowledge is based on experience

Question 6

Identify the first six steps in the research process

Answer 6

1) Finding a research question
2) From theory to hypotheses
3) Defining & operationalising variables
4) Identifying participants and their characteristics
5) Research strategies (types of research)
6) Research designs (between/within subject etc)

Question 7

What does step three of the research process mean, “defining variables”?

Answer 7

It means you must define the construct you’re measuring.

e.g. report we did on courage, what IS courage.

Question 8

Difference btn subjects and participants?

Answer 8

Subjects = animals
Participants = humans

Question 9

‘Select a research strategy’ is step five in the research process, what does this mean?

Answer 9

Decide between the five research strategies: descriptive, correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental designs. They all do different things.

Also consider internal and external validity.

Question 10

Step six, ‘select a research design’ refers to…

Answer 10

Decide between within, between subject, factorial or single-subject designs

Question 11

Step one of research process ‘finding a research question’ involves two main parts. What are they?

Answer 11

Part 1) Select a general topic

Part 2) Do a literature review to find an unanswered q.

Question 12

When choosing a research q you should choose something that (3 things)

Answer 12

Interests you
is practical/achievable/ethical
is in your long term interests (career goals)

Question 13

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 13

a statement that describes or explains the relationship btn variables

Question 14

Step two of the research process, ‘from theory to hypothesis’, involves deductive or inductive reasoning?

Answer 14

Deductive. Deducing conclusions from premises. Often called the “hypothetico-deductive method”.

Question 15

What are three key characteristics of a fully sick hypothesis?

Answer 15

It should be…
• Testable: The hypothesis is stated in such a way so that the variables are observable,
assessable/measurable
• Refutable: The hypothesis is stated in such a way that it can be shown to be false
• Positive: The hypothesis should state that some state of affairs exists (directional/non-directional)

Question 16

Whats a tip for operationalising variables?

Answer 16

Use already established measures e.g. beck depression

e.g. measuring intelligence = score on verbal SAT test (standardised test).

Question 17

What does operationalising variables mean? (Step three of research p)

Answer 17

A procedure for measuring & defining a construct.

􏰀Putting hypotheses into empirically testable form

Question 18

Question on identifying participants (step 4 in rp).

What does WIERDOs refer to and why is it related to sample bias.

Answer 18

WEIRDos—Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich & Democratic cultures

Idea that vast majority of studies have been done in these populations.

Question 19

When selecting a research strategy (Step 5 in rp), an important question to ask yourself is am I describing or explaining a relationship? Whats the difference?

Answer 19

Describing events (what is happening?)
• Describing relationships b/w variables
• e.g. is there a relationship b/w X & Y ?
• Prediction: does X predict Y ?
(more correlational)

Explaining events (why is it happening?)
• Attempting to infer causality
• e.g. does X cause changes in Y ?
(more experimental)

Question 20

Something confusing to keep in mind about the difference between causal and correlational research?

Answer 20

• A causal relationship is a correlation of a certain kind

* Correlational research can serve as a basis for explanatory research

Question 21

What is a correlational research strategy?

Answer 21

DESCRIBES relationships 
>examines the relationship btn 2 or more variables, that exist naturally for a set of individuals. 
>Doesn't establish causality!
>Scatterplots
>Assess strength of relationship
>Directionality (positive/negative)
>Linear/non-linear relationships
example: there is a relationship between wake up times and gpa scores for students, but we dont know why.

Question 22

What is an experimental research strategy?

Answer 22

EXPLAINS relationships
• Attempting to infer causality
• Manipulating some aspect of a situation to see what influence it has on other variables
• Requires comparison with treatment conditions/control group
• Scientific control
• (eg. random allocation to groups)
Example: Increasing the amount of exercise causes a decrease in cholesterol levels.

Question 23

What are Extraneous variables?

Answer 23

all other variables in the study

Question 24

What’s the difference btn the experimental condition and control condition?

Answer 24

• Experimental condition: receives IV (treatment); Levels of IV
• Control condition: does not receive IV (comparison group)

Question 25

Difference between IV and DV?

Answer 25

• Independent variable (IV): ‘manipulated’

* Dependent variable (DV): ‘measure’

Question 26

What are confounding variables?

Answer 26

Variables that may also influence the DV (besides IV)

Question 27

What is internal validity?

Answer 27

Internal validity: The extent to which the design of an experiment ensures that the IV, & not some other variable(s), causes the observed differences in the DV

Question 28

How do you ensure your experiment has good internal validity?
What is this process called?

Answer 28

Controlling for confounds.

Process called: scientific control (Controlling as many other variables that might influence the DV)

Question 29

Ecological validity?
External validity?

(basically same thing)

Answer 29

Ecological validity refers to the extent to which the findings of a research study are able to be generalized to real-life settings.
External: is the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people.

Question 30

What three designs can we have?

Answer 30

• Between-group design: performance b/w two or more groups is compared
• Within-groups design/Repeated- measures design: one group of participants is tested two or more times
• Mixed designs

Question 31

What is a quasi experimental research strategy?

Answer 31

• Quasi-experimental: typically compares non-equivalent groups/conditions
• Pre-existing participant variables
• eg. Sex; smoker vs non-smoker
• Quasi-independent variable: the variable that differentiates the groups or conditions being compared; not manipulated
• eg. ‘The influence of sex differences on moral reasoning tasks’
ATTEMPTS to produce a cause and effect relationship BUT FALLS SHORT.

Question 32

What’s next after these six steps in the research process?

There are Four more steps (lecture conflates them/doesnt say them all).

Answer 32

.....
Step 7) conduct study 
Step 8) Evaluate the data
Step 9) Report the results
Step 10) Refine or reformulate your research idea (this never stops as research process is not linear! Spiral! Even if your hypothesis was right! Test the boundaries of the result).

Question 33

What is the end result/ implications of your research?

Answer 33

• More confident?
• Amend theory?
• Discard theory?

Question 34

What is the scientist-practitioner model?

Answer 34

It promotes the importance of science in more applicable, practical fields. e.g. clinical psych

Question 35

Add a few more cards on other methods of research strategy like descriptive and non experimental. Important to know because assessable but not in lectures (reading 1.3, 1.4 and 6.1)

Answer 35

Will legit take ten minutes because ive marked whats important with pencil