Chapter 2 - Research in Psychology Class Notes

CHAPTER 2! Research! Why is research important? - people can be wrong about their ideas wren not supported by evidence -research is mandatory to validate claims - scientific researchis empirical in tangible evidence → It is grounded -researchis needed in psychology Use of Researon Information: → Stepies about eptics everytring - advertising campaigns often claim to be based on "scientific evidence" when in reality it is based off beliel → think chitically about claims he Process of scientific research: Inductive vs. deductive Deductive Reasoning-results are predicted on a general premise Inductive Reasoning- conclusions drawn from observations I. scientists perform ideas (+heones/ npotresis) through deductive reasoning 2. Hypotheses get tested through empirical obsenations * sclentsts form conclusions through inductive reasoning 3. these concisions lead to new theones and hypotheses (or more broad generalizations) mductive generat posmise reasoning dedoctre rcasoning empirical doservations The Scientific Method: Scientsts use inductive reasoning to form theories wnch then generate hypotneses Theory - well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for doserved prenomena Hypo+nesis- tentative testable prediction about the relationship between 2 or more variables apredics how wand wit benaue if theory is correct -"it-nen statement usually L is falsifiable (able to be shown to be incorrec+) Scientific method includes proposing hypotroses. Conducting research + creating or modifying theories based on resums) create or modifi the tweory use theory to form hypotnesis Theory doservation Hypothesis perform the research Researon design a study to test the hypotnesis 2.2 Approaches to Research Clinical or Case Studies: •focus on one individual Studied individual is typically in extreme/ unique psychological circumstance that differentiates them from general public" → allons for a 101 of insight into a case difficult to generalize results to the larger population Naturalistic Observation doservation of behavior in its natural setting Usually hidden under scrutiny / cbservation • througn naturalistic obseruations, any feeling of performance or anxiety of the Studiea indiviauais is elimmated Observer Bias - when observations may be skewed to allgn wi the expectations of tre observer Lestablishment of clear criteria to ouserve snova help elmnate enis → people can Survey used to gatner large amounts of data from a sample from a larger population Archival Researc uses past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting pattems or relationships Langitudal + Cross-sectional Researon cross-seconal researon: compare multiple segments of a population at a single time (ex: different age groups) longitudal Studies in which the same group of individuals IS surveyed or measured repeatedly over extended period of time Attrition: reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time Correlational Research Correlation: relationship between 2 or more variables; when 2 variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does Conrelation Coefficient: numbers from - to +1, indicating the strengin + direction of tue relatonship betrucen variables Lausually represents by r Positive Correlation: 2 variables change in the same direction, bot becoming either largeror smaller Negative correlaton: 2 variables change m alfferent directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a negative correlation is not the same thing as no correlation Correlation is nol the same as causation!! Cause + effect relationship: changes in one variable causes tue changes in the other variable i can be determined only through experimental research design Cofounding varidael: unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable Illusory Correlations Illuson Correlations: Seeing relationships between 2 things when no real relatonship exists Confirmation bias: tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas / beliefs L can be involved in forming prejudicial attaudes (discriminatory benauor) Causality: Conducting Experiments + Using the data • best way to do researon is to experiment Experimental Hypothes is : formed through obseruation, after revrew of previous research