Psych Unit I Part 2

The Approaches and
Methods of Psychology
Part 2
Unit 1: Chapters 1 and 2
Can Human Behaviors be Explained through Scientific Study?
What Makes scientific research ethical or unethical?
Naturalistic Observation Method

The researcher observes the
subject in a natural setting

without interfering
Case-Study Method
Research method that involves an
intensive investigation of one or more

participants
Cross-sectional Studies
Research method in which data is collected
from groups of participants of different ages

and compared
This way, conclusions can be drawn regarding
differences due to age
Experiments in
Psychology
A test under controlled
conditions that is made to

examine the validity of a
hypothesis
A hypothesis: is an educated
guess about the relationship
between two variables, such as
study time and test scores
Descriptive Statistics
A collection of data used to organize and
summarize information. Charts, Tables,

Diagrams, etc.
Correlation
How much two variables are related to each
other.
**Correlation is
NOT Causation!!!
Confounding Variables
A 3rd Variable that
may be actually
causing a change in
the variable being
studied
Two variables that
are linked together

that make it difficult
to sort out their
effects.
Placebo Effect
A change in a participants behavior or
illness resulting from a belief that the

treatment will have an effect, rather than
the actual treatment given
Inferential Statistics
Numerical methods used to
determine whether research

data support a hypothesis or
whether the results were due to
chance
Correlation Coefficient
A number between
1.0 and -1.0 that

describes the
relationship
between two
variables.
r
Survey Method
A research method in which
information is obtained by asking

many individuals a fixed set of
questions
Experimenter Bias
When the researcher
impacts or effects the
outcome of the results of
the study.
RESEARCH METHODS in
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is an EMPIRICAL science
Psychology follows the SCIENTIFIC METHOD
A
General Approach to systematically and

scientifically discover new knowledge
Some of you Favorite Experiments????
Research Methods or
Designs
3 Broad Research Categories:
1) Descriptive Research
Naturalistic
Case
Observation
Study
Survey Method
2) Correlational Research
3) Experimental Research
CORRELATION
NATURALISTIC
OBSERVATION
researchers measure
the relationship
between two variables
or sets of data
psychologist studies the
What is the direction
and Strength of the

Relationship
Direct:
Indirect:
subject in a natural
setting without
interfering
EX: Jane Goodall;
or
Reality TV; etc.

or
CASE STUDY
SURVEY
A psychologist is
interested in an in-depth
study of behavior for one
or very few number of
cases
EX: Super Size Me
Morgan Spurlock
The use of questionnaires
or interviews to quickly
gain the answer to wide
range of questions
LONGITUDINAL STUDY
CROSS-SECTIONAL
STUDY
data is collected from

a group of participants
is studied over several

years to assess certain
characteristics or
changes during
development
**WHICH
WAY TO RESEARCH??
groups of participants of
different ages and
compared so that
conclusions can be
drawn about differences
due to age
Experimental Research: VARIABLES
Experiment = manipulation of one variable under
controlled conditions so that resulting changes in

another variable can be observed
Detection of cause-and-effect relationships
Independent
variable (IV) = variable
manipulated
Dependent variable (DV) = variable affected by
manipulation
COFOUNDING VARIABLES
A 3rd variable other than the independent
variable that may be influencing the dependent
variable
Experimental and Control Groups: DIVIDING PARTICIPANTS INTO

GROUPS
Experimental group
subjects who
receive some
special treatment
in regard to the
independent
variable
Treatment
Control group
similar subjects
who do not
receive the
special
treatment
Group that would
likely receive the

Group
*ID the
Parts of the Experiment Practice
PLACEBO
Problems!
Pitfalls in Experiments
Placebo effects
Believing you benefiting from a drug or treatment when no
actual drug or treatment is being administered

Sampling bias
The number of people participating in the experiment is not
sufficient to match results to the whole population
Self fulfilling Prophecy
Answering survey questions in a way that gives you the result
you desire
Social Desirable Responding
Answering in a way that does not make you sound bad to
others
Experimenter bias
The Experimentor indicates to the participants their desired
results and in turn receive those results from their
participants
Single Blind/Double Blind
Avoiding
EXPERIMENTER BIAS
Single-blind experiment
An experiment in which the participants
are unaware of which participants
received the experimental treatment is
known as a:
Double-blind experiment
An experiment in which the neither the
experimenter nor the participants known
which participants received the
experimental treatment is called a:
Ethics in Psychological Research: Do the Ends Justify the Means?
What is Ethically Acceptable and What is NOT???
What does it mean for something

to be unethical or ethical?
Who should decide this?
*Questionable Studies
Questionable
Experiments
Brown-Eyed, Blue-Eyed Experiment
Identical Twin Studies
Stanley Milgram Experiment on Obedience to
Authority
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
Twin Studies Seperated at Birth
Milgram Study on Obedience to Authority
Tuskegee Experiment
ETHICS REQUIREMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGYSet by The

APA!
Welfare/dignity of participants: free from
psychological or physical harm

Legal: approval must be obtained by the institutional
review board (APA)

Anonymity: rights to privacy, confidentiality must be
observed for participants

Deception: must be necessary for the experiment
and misunderstandings must be cleared up in a

debriefing
Debriefing: following an experiment, participants
must be debriefed to rectify any misconceptions
STATISTICS
____________________
A branch of mathematics that
enables researchers to organize
and evaluate the data they collect
.
Why is EVALUATING your data so important?
Why should you know the statistical
procedures?
STATISTICS
Descriptive Statistics
The listing and

summarizing of
data in a practical,
efficient way.
EXAMPLES:
Frequency Distributions
Frequency Polygons
Histograms
Inferential Statistics
Numerical methods
used to determine
whether research
data support a
hypothesis or
whether results
were due to Chance
STATISTICSFrequency
Distributions
an arrangement of data that indicates
how often a particular score or
observation occurs
STATISTICS--Histograms
a good, old-fashioned bar graph, which in
statistics is called a HISTOGRAM
Category 4
Category 3
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Category 2
Category 1
0
STATISTICSFREQUENCY
POLYGONS
Or a frequency curve: graph comparing
the frequency of occurrences to each
score or observation
The dots on the graph are connected by a line
straight (polygon) or curved

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Measures of Central Tendency

CENTRAL TENDENCY
Definition: _________________A
number that describes
information about the average score of a
distribution of scores. Examples:
MODE
____________:
score that occurs the most frequent
MEDIAN
____________:
the middle score
MEAN
__________:
the arithmetic average score
These scores give us information about the average.
RANGEThe Spread of Scores from highest to lowest
CORRELATION:
POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE
+
Statistical Significance
Scientists have concluded that if the
probability that their results were due to

0.05 (5%) is less than _______, then they are
chance
confident that their results did not happen
because of chance
SIGNIFICANT
This is
called being statistically
___________________
Some researchers demand that this
number be as low as 1% or .01

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Psych Unit I Part 2

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The Approaches and

Naturalistic Observation Method

subject in a natural setting

intensive investigation of one or more

from groups of participants of different ages

conditions that is made to

summarize information. Charts, Tables,

are linked together

illness resulting from a belief that the

determine whether research

1.0 and -1.0 that

information is obtained by asking

General Approach to systematically and

Some of you Favorite Experiments????

and Strength of the

Reality TV; etc.

The use of questionnaires

data is collected from

is studied over several

Experimental Research: VARIABLES

Experiment = manipulation of one variable under

controlled conditions so that resulting changes in

variable (IV) = variable

Experimental and Control Groups: DIVIDING PARTICIPANTS INTO

likely receive the

actual drug or treatment is being administered

Ethics in Psychological Research: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

What is Ethically Acceptable and What is NOT???

What does it mean for something

Twin Studies Seperated at Birth

Milgram Study on Obedience to Authority

ETHICS REQUIREMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGYSet by The

psychological or physical harm

review board (APA)

observed for participants

and misunderstandings must be cleared up in a

must be debriefed to rectify any misconceptions

The listing and

straight (polygon) or curved

Measures of Central Tendency

RANGEThe Spread of Scores from highest to lowest

probability that their results were due to

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