Research in Psychology Mrs. Schlicht

Learning Targets 1. Compare & Contrast the research methods- experiment, case study, survey, naturalistic observation 2. Identify & apply the parts of an experiment (independent variable, dependent, population) 3. Describe & identify correlational studies 4. Differentiate between the measures of central tendency & variation. 5. Define & identify standard deviation

The Need for Psychological Science •Several Limits to our Intuition and Common Sense –Confirmation Bias (we look for what we believe) –Hindsight Bias (“I knew it all along”) –Overconfidence (we think we know more than we really do)

Hindsight Bias •sometimes called the I- knew-it-all-along effect, is the inclination to see events that have occurred as more predictable than they in fact were before they took place.

Overconfidence Unscramble this... funeral are real fun inch ear impart cheater real fun ear chin armpit teacher

Overconfidence •the human tendency to be more confident in one's behaviors, attributes and physical characteristics than one ought to be. •…or, the tendency to be more confident than correct.

Scientific Method this should be review

Operational Definitions So other researchers can replicate your experiment/study. Is it reliable? Is it valid? the definition of behaviors and qualities in terms of how they are to be measured. How do we define smiling?

Descriptive Studies: Case Study an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

Descriptive Studies: Survey a technique for finding out the attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group. Population: people in the study from which samples may be drawn. Random Sampling: a fair representation of the population

Descriptive Studies: Survey Wording Effects: “aid the needy” vs “welfare” “I tell my friends everything” vs. I trust my friends.

Descriptive Studies: Naturalistic Observation Just like it sounds...studying a person, group or animals in their natural settings. The researchers is not trying to manipulate or control the situation

Descriptive Studies: Naturalistic Observation Hawthorne Effect: if you know you are being studied, you act differently than you normally do

•More accurate than reports after the fact •Behavior is more natural Research Method Advantages Limitations Naturalistic Observation •More accurate than reports after the fact •Behavior is more natural •Observer can alter behavior •Observer Bias •Not generalizable Survey • Immense amount of data •Quick and inexpensive •Generalizable •Replicable •Poor sampling can skew results •Wording Effect •Social Desirability Bias (yours answers would be viewed as favorably by others) Case Studies •Depth •Takes advantage of circumstances that can not be replicated •Time consuming and expensive •Observational Bias

Experiments The purpose of an experiment is to determine how a treatment affects a behavior. -- Looking for cause and effect

Variables Dependent Variable: the measured variable. Ask, “What is the researcher measuring or looking for in this study?” Independent Variable: manipulated variable. Ask, “What do the researchers hope will cause the DV in this study?”

Variables Confounding: Other variables that could influence the results of the experiment

Random Assignment not to be confused with Random Sample Each person IN THE STUDY has an equal opportunity to be in the control or experimental group. helps control for extraneous variables and researcher bias

Experiments Placebo effect- “fake” - “sugar pill” Give patients in control group placebo pill Give patients in experimental group the real pill Blind- patients do not know Double blind- neither Researcher nor patient know

STOP! Let’s Practice! We want to test the effects of caffeine on the behavior of high school teachers at OSHS Hypothesis Operational Definitions Population (Random Sample) Control Group vs. Experimental Group Random Assignment Independent Variable & Dependent Variable Confounding Variables