Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Ch. 2: Creative Ideas and Working Hypotheses

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Discovery and Justification Reichenbach’s (1938) “discovery phase” of the scientific method. Scientist as a kind of “Christopher Columbus” Justification phase is where: Working hypotheses are tested Conclusions are logically defended.

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Hypothesis-Generating Heuristics Using an intensive case study Making sense of a paradoxical incident Using analogical thinking Resolving conflicting results Improving earlier theories and methods Serendipity

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall The Research Proposal Working title Objective Proposed method Proposed data analysis Ethical considerations Preliminary list of references

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Retrieving and Using Reference Materials PsycINFO and other computerized databases Importance of reading the entire actual work Problems with reading just the abstract Problems with relying on media reports

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Defining Terms and Variables Operational Definitions: Define in terms of how will be measured or manipulated. KEY: Must be linked to observable events. Theoretical (or Conceptual) Definitions: Define in more abstract or general terms.

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Theories and Hypotheses Hypothesis: A conjectural statement or supposition. Gives direction to the researcher’s observations. Theory: A set of explanatory statements connected by logical arguments and by explicit and implicit assumptions. Generative theories

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Criteria for Acceptable Hypotheses Correspondence with reality Combination of coherence and parsimony The principle of Occam’s razor Falsifiability

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Constructs and Variables Construct: A theoretical concept formulated to serve as causal or descriptive explanations. Variable: Any event or condition that the researcher observes or measures or plans to investigate and that is liable to variation.

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Independent vs. Dependent Variables Independent Variable: The presumed “cause” Examples: Biological and social independent variables. Interactions between independent variables. Dependent Variable: The “effect” or outcome variable

Rosnow, Beginning Behavioral Research, 5/e. Copyright 2005 by Prentice Hall Examples of Dependent Variables Direction of any observed change in behavior The amount of the change The ease with which a change is effected The persistence of a change over time