Research methods

Research methods

• 1.
  The Science ofPsychology BasicResearch: conducted to advance scientific knowledge Applied Research: designed to solve practical problems
• 2.
   Is this an example of basic or applied research?
• 3.
  The Science ofPsychology: Ethical Guidelines Ethical Guidelines for Human Research Participants: • Informed consent • Voluntary participation • Restricted use of deception • Debriefing • Confidentiality • Alternative activities
• 4.
  Research Methods  Four key research methods: 1. Experimental 2. Descriptive 3. Correlational 4. Biological
• 5.
  Art of Prediction
• 6.
  Four Key ResearchMethods (Continued) 1. Experimental Research: carefully controlled scientific procedure that manipulates variables to determine cause & effect
• 7.
  Research Methods— Experimental (Continued) Key features of an experiment:  Independent variable (factor that is manipulated) versus dependent variable (factor that is measured)  Experimental group (receives treatment) versus control group (receives no treatment)
• 8.
  Does TV increase aggression? Only an experiment can determine cause & effect.
• 9.
  Research Methods— Experimental (Continued)  Potentialresearcher problems:  Experimenter bias (researcher influences the research results in the expected direction)  Ethnocentrism (believing one's culture is typical of all cultures)
• 10.
  Research Methods— Experimental (Continued) Potential participant problems: Sample bias (research participants are unrepresentative of the larger population) Participant bias (research participants are influenced by the researcher or experimental conditions)
• 11.
  Research Methods— Descriptive 2.Descriptive Research: observes & records behavior without producing causal explanations
• 12.
  Research Methods—Descriptive Three types of descriptive research: • Naturalistic Observation (observation & recording of behavior in natural state or habitat) • Survey (assessment of a sample or population) • Case Study (in-depth study of a single participant)
• 13.
  Pause & Reflect: Psychology at Work What is the advantage of studying psychological research methods like naturalistic observation?
• 14.
  Research Methods— Correlational 3. Correlational Research: observes or measures (without directly manipulating) two or more variables to find relationships between them
• 15.
  Research Methods— Correlational Positive Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the same direction—either up or down
• 16.
  Research Methods— Correlational Negative Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the opposite direction—either up or down
• 17.
  Research Methods— Correlational Zero Correlation: no relationship between two variables (when one variable increases, the other can increase, decrease, or stay the same)
• 18.
  Research Methods— Correlational
• 19.
  Research Methods—Biological 4. Biological Research: scientific studies of the brain & other parts of the nervous system