Scientific Method, Types of Experiments and Data Processing Research Process Scientific Method, Types of Experiments and Data Processing

Scientific Method Steps used to gather information through careful observation and the use of experiments. There are 4 steps: Developing a research question Based on previous experience. “Does stress increase the likely hood of catching a cold?” Creating a hypothesis – a theoretical answer to the research question. Not a definite fact People who experience lots of stress are more likely to catch a cold. Gathering evidence to test the hypothesis Performing an experiment to test hypothesis Comparing how often people with stressful lives catch colds to those who don’t experience much stress Drawing conclusions about the hypothesis Using statistics to analyze whether the data supports the hypothesis Is there a pattern to the observations? The more data there is, the more complicated it is to look for a pattern.

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Why is it important to replicate a study? Replicate – recreate or repeat a study In order to prove the findings of a study, it must be replicated to see if it gets the same results They don’t have to do the EXACT same experiment Different participants If involves people, they will try to vary them by gender, ethnicity, social standing, religion etc. Proved hypothesizes usually result in more questions.

Types of Experiments Case Study – in depth study of one or more individuals Based of off interviews, observation, & written record Provides insight into specific cases Can be faulty at times – focus on isolated situations, faulty information Survey Method – gather information from target groups by using interviews or questionnaires. Focus on specific groups (random sample) such as children, athletes, father’s of toddlers etc. Random samples are people chosen at random from a larger group Can be skewed or faulty if sample’s memory is not accurate Naturalistic Observation – researchers observe the behavior of people or animals in their natural environment Usually without the subjects knowledge Researchers have no control over observation or environment Bias occurs if observer makes a decision about the subject before the observation really begins Prevent bias by having 2 observers

Types of Experiments Placebo – “sugar pill” used in drug studies Placebo effect – positive result comes from a person expecting a good outcome, rather than the medicinal properties of the pill. Single-blind study – subjects in a study are kept from knowing whether they are taking the placebo or not (“blinded”). Double-blind study – both the experimenter and the subject are “blinded” Prevents experimenters’ bias from impacting study

Types of Experiments Cross-sectional study – entire population is observed for a specific phenomena for a specific amount of time For example, for 5 months women with breast cancer are studied. All ages, ethnicities, backgrounds etc. If a high number with a specific background have it, they will do a more up close study

Data Processing Statistics – study of the interpretation, collection and organization of data. Correlation – a relationship between two variables Positive – variables increase together For example, the taller men are, the more confident they are. Negative – variables decrease together For example, the more unattractive people are, the less confident they are Erratic – no pattern Data can not be followed Standard deviation – tells how close sample data is to the average. Small deviation is when the data is close to the average. Large deviation is when the data is far from the average. Frequency distribution – the number of observations of a behavior within a given interval. How often does the monkey groom his mate in a 10 minute period. Stratified samplings – researcher divides population into various subgroups, the chooses randomly from that group.

In Class Experiment: Can you really taste the difference between Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero? Hypothesis: Yes, the average person can taste the difference between the three sodas. Experiment: Blindfolded participants will be given samples of each drink in labeled cups. No cups will be distributed until all participants are blind folded. An experimenter and assistant will take turns recording the participants attempts to identify the drinks. Example: Participant 1 thought Cup A: is Coke Zero. They will also make sure no soda is spilt all over my floor.  Once all the data has been collected, text your findings to the number posted on our class wiki. We will compare our data on the class website.

Results: Did our findings support our hypothesis? What questions does this answer give us? Do you think if we changed the demographics of the study, the results would be different? Were there any weaknesses in the experiment?

Placebo Effect Video How was the placebo effect an important part of this study? Was it harmful to the participants for a placebo to be used in this experiment?