September 27, 2012 Do Now: Answer the following question on a separate sheet of paper: Do you consider psychology to be a real science? Explain your answer in 3- 5 sentences. **If you are not in your seat working on your Do Now when the bell rings, you will be marked late**

Do Now Do you consider psychology to be a real science?

Question Research Hypothesis Procedure Data Observation Conclusion Gathering of information Was the hypothesis correct or incorrect?

Placebo A “medicine” that has no active ingredients and works by the power of suggestion.

Double Blind Study A study during which neither participants nor experimenters know to which groups the subjects belong.

Subjects People or animals on which a study is conducted.

Variables are factors that change in an experiment. Independent Variable -The factor in a study that is controlled or manipulated by the experimenter Dependent Variable -The factor in a study that changes or varies because of changes in the independent variable Plants’ height growth Hours spent studying Weight gain # of home runs hitDifferent weather conditions Types of soda drank Students’ grades Amount of water given

Research Methods

Types of Research 1. Descriptive Research – characterizes the who, what, when, where, and how about a certain population or phenomenon 2. Correlational Research – measures the relationship between two variables 3. Experimental Research – examines the causal relationship between two or more variables

Naturalistic Observation Behavior is observed in the environment in which it occurs naturally. Watching and recording the behavior of organisms in their natural environment – Unobtrusive measure, no intervention by researcher Example: Jane Goodall’s studies of chimpanzees in the wild use of tools Example: Watching a student’s behavior in the classroom

Naturalistic Observation Pros: – Allows understanding of behavior in a natural setting (avoids artificiality of laboratories) Cons: – Like other descriptive research, observation describes behavior rather than explaining it. – Can be difficult to be unobtrusive in some cases – Ethical concerns

Case Study Behavior of one person or a few people is studied in depth. Examples: – Person with TBI – A puppy living with goats – A child growing up with a pack of wolves

Case Study Pros: – Allow for detailed understanding of an individual’s psychology – Can suggest ideas for future research Cons: – Any given individual may be atypical, nonrepresentative of the general population

Surveys A large number of participants are asked a standard set of questions (i.e. beliefs, attitudes, preferences, behaviors) Intended to draw conclusions about the opinions or behaviors of a certain population by surveying a sample from that population Examples – Voting habits – When people do their shopping – Course evaluations

Surveys Pros: – Inexpensive – Easy to do quickly – If the sample is truly random, surveys can provide a representative depiction of the population as a whole. Cons: – Sources of bias How questions are phrased Only those who have a strong opinion may it mail back

Correlational Research Uses statistical methods to examine the relationships between two or more variables. Examples: – Media violence and violent behavior – Hours studied and test scores Non examples: – Shoe size and length of fingernails – Water drank and number of countries visited

Positive correlation: An increase in one variable predicts an increase in the other (i.e. height and weight) Negative correlation: An increase in one variable predicts a decrease in the other (i.e. self-esteem and depression) Correlation of 0: No relationship between the variables Correlational Research

Pros: – Cheap and easy to do Cons: – Does not explain why something has a positive/negative relationship – One does not always cause the other ?

Summary Is psychology a real science? What are some of the research methods that psychologists use in their work? How does a psychologist use the Scientific Method to understand human behavior? What is an example of something a research psychologist might study and how might an applied psychologist use those findings?