Zusammenfassung der Ressource
The Research Enterprise in Psychology
- 1) The Scientific Approach to Behaviour
- 1) Goals of the Scientific Enterprise
- - measurement and
description: developiing
ways and techniques that
make it possible to describe
behaviour clearly and
precisely
- - unserstanding and
prediction: using
hypothesis, which is a
tentative statement about
the relationship between
two or more variables.
- - scientists use theories to
better understand
concepts. theories are
systems of interrelated
ideas are used to explain a
set of observations.
- 2) Steps in Scientific Investigation
- - scientific investigations are systematic
- - step 1 - translate a theory into testable material
- -step 2 -figure out how to put the hypothesis ti the test
- -step 3 - collect data
- -step 4- observations are converted to numbers to constitute the data.
- step 5 - publication of research results
- 3) Advantages of the Scientific Approach
- -scientific approach offers 2 major approach .
- the first is its clarity and precision
- -the second is the greatest advantage which refers to the relative intolerance of error.
- 2) Looking for Causes: Experimental Research
- 1) Independent and Dependant Variables
- - an indépendant variable is a condition
or event that an expérimenter varies in
order to see its impact on another
variable
- dependant variable is thought to be
affected by manipulation of the
independent variable.
- 2) Experimental and Control Groups
- -experimental groups of the
subjects who receive some
special treatment in regard
to the independent variable
- 3) Extraneous Variables
- -extraneous variables are any variables
other than the independent that seem
likely to influence the dependant
variable in a specific
- -a confounding of variables occur when 2
variables are linked together in a way that
makes it difficult to sort out their specific
effects
- 4) Variables in Designing Experiments
- first it is sometimes advantages to use only
one group of subjects who serve as their
control group
- second, it is possible to manipulate more
than one independent variable in a single
experiment
- 5) Advantages and Disadvantages of Experimental Research
- experiment has limitations
- never have control over proceedings, must construct simple, contrived
situations to test hypotheses
- 3) Looking for Links: Descriptive/Correlational Research
- 1) Naturalistic Observation
- naturalistic observation a researcher engages in careful observation of
behaviour without intervening directly with the research subjects or
participants
- reactivity occurs when a subjects behaviour is altered by the presence of an observer
- 2) Case Studies
- a case study is an in-depth investigation of an individual subject
- -used to investigate certain phenomena, such as
psychology disorders and neuropsychological issue.
- 3) Surveys
- survey research use questionnaires or interviews to gather
information about specific aspects of participants behaviour
- major problem with surveys is that they depend on
self-report data
- 4) Advantages and Disadvantages of Descriptive/Correlational Research
- statistics is the use of math to organize, summarize and interpret numerical data.
- 4) Looking for Conclusions: Statistics and Research
- 1) Descriptive Statistics
- Descriptive Statistics are used to organize and summarize data.
- 5) Looking for Flaws: Evaluating Research
- 1) Meta-Analysis
- a meta analysis is the combination of the statistics results of many studies of the same
question yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variables effects
- checks the reality of a finding
- 2) Sampling Bias
- a sample is the collection of subjects of selected for observation is an empirical study,
- sampling bias exists when a sample is nit representative of the population.
- 3) Placebo Effects
- placebo effect occur when participants
expectations lead them to experience
some change even though they receive
empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment.
- 4) Distortions in Self-Report Data
- the social desirability bias, which is a
tendency to give socially approved
answers to questions about ones self
- response set is a tendency to response to
question in a particular way that is unrelated
to the concept pf the question
- 5) Experimental Bias
- experimenter bias occurs when a
researcher's expectations or
performances about the outcome of a
study influence the results obtained
- 6) Looking at Ethics: Do the Ends Justify the Means?
- 1) Ethical Guidelines for Research in Psychology in Canada
- ethical questions are often complex and the answers to such dilemmas aren't easy
- psychologists have trhe right to protect the rights, privacy, personal liberty, and self-determination of others.
- psychologists should take available measures to ensure that
their activities will benefit those with whom they intersect in a
professional capacity