1. Research Methods: How We Do Psychology Forming and Testing Hypotheses Theory Integrated set of principles that explain and predict observed events Hypotheses Testable proposition that describes a relationship that may exist between events

2. The Scientific Method 1. Formulating a research question. 2. Framing the research question in the form of a hypothesis. 3. Testing the hypothesis. 4. Drawing conclusions about the hypothesis.

3. Research Methods: How We Do Psychology Correlational method – A scientific method of study that examines the relationships between factors or variables expressed in statistical terms. There is a strong correlation between smoking and lung cancer, but you cannot say that smoking causes lung cancer because not all smokers end up with lung cancer. There is a strong correlation between wearing a helmet and preventing head injury, but you cannot say that wearing a helmet ‘cause’ head injuries to be prevented because not all helmet users end up with no head injury.

4. Correlation Research: Detecting Natural Associations Method Correlational Naturally occurring relationships among variables Experimental Seeks clues to cause-effect relationships by manipulating one or more variables while controlling others Research Methods: How We Do Psychology

5. Experimental Research: Searching for Cause and Effect Control: Manipulating variables Independent variable Experimental factor that a researcher manipulates Dependent variable Variable being measured; depends on manipulations of the independent variable Research Methods: How We Do Psychology

6. Experimental Research: Searching for Cause and Effect Random assignment: The great equalizer Process of assigning participants to the conditions of an experiment such that all persons have the same chance of being in a given condition Eliminates extraneous factors Research Video: http://digital.films.com/play/QSHTTU Research Methods: How We Do Psychology