1. Psych 1 Discussion Section Week 3

2. Quiz 2 O Please clear your desk of everything except for a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. O No talking or use of cell phones or electronics. O Write your name, section number (or section time), and date on the piece of paper

3. 1.Experimental research is the only way to truly determine causation. a. True b. False 2. A study in which the experimenter but not the participant knows the value of the independent variable is called a(n) __________ study. a. counterbalanced b. single-blind c. subjective d. double-blind e. objective 3. Which of the following is not one the of 5 steps for conducting research? a. Identifying the problem b. Designing an experiment c. Performing the experiment d. Attending a conference e. Communicating the results

4. 4.An operational definition: a. is a technique used to measure a dependent variable b. guarantees that all subjects in a study will be treated equally c. describes a variable by how it will be measured or manipulated d. is a form of nominal fallacy e. describes the effect of the independent variable 5. When doing research with human participants it is important to comply with all of the following principles except: a. Confidentiality b. Informed Consent c. Misleading subject d. Debriefing of study to subject e.Both C and D

5. 6. Which variable is measured in an experiment? a. The relational variable b. The independent variable c. The causal variable d. The dependent variable e. The confounding variable 7. A correolation coefficient of -0.13 indicates: a. No Correlation b. A weak negative correlation c. A weak positive correlation d. A strong negative correlation e. A strong positive correlation

6. 8. Which variable is manipulated in an experiment? a. The relational variable b. The independent variable c. The causal variable d. The dependent variable e. The confounding variable 9. Which is NOT an example of a Descriptive Statistic? a. Statistical significance b. Standard deviation c. Variance d. Mean e. Median

7. 10. A researcher wants to know if taking aspirin will decrease heart attacks. Subjects are given 50 mg, 100 mg or 200 mg of aspirin or a sugar pill, then the number of heart attacks are recorded. What is the independent variable? a.Aspirin b.Type of medication c.Heart attacks d.Amount of medication e.Severity of heart attack

8. Types of Research Three basic types of research: – Descriptive Research – Correlational Research – Experimental Research 8

9. Descriptive Research Goal: Observe and record behavior – Note: Cannot prove causation or explain behavior – But can still reveal important information, such as describing behavior Types: – Case Studies – Surveys & Interviews – Naturalistic Observation 9

10. Case Studies In-depth look at a single individual Advantages: – Gain lots of information about a particular (often rare) phenomenon Disadvantages: – Difficult to generalize to others – May not be reliable Example: – Phineas Gage 10

11. Surveys Wording Effects – How questions are worded on a survey can change how participants respond Ex. Should cigarette ads and pornography be allowed on television? (not allowed vs. forbid) Ex. “If the situation arose, how likely would you be to report a crime?” – Problem: What type of crime? 11

12. Experimental Research Goal: Determine causation – Manipulate variables of interest – Hold other variables (not of interest) constant (i.e., “control” for them) 12

13. Experimental Methods Independent Variables (IVs) – Hypothesized “cause” – Controlled and manipulated by experimenter – Independent of what participant does Dependent Variables – Hypothesized “effect” (i.e. outcome – what is being measured) – Values depend on the values of the IV Conditions – different levels of the IV – Experimental Group: Hypothesized “cause” is present – Control Group: Hypothesized “cause” is absent

14. The Experimental Method IV’s and DV’s – The effect of sleep deprivation on test scores IV:Sleep Deprivation (0 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours) DV:Test Scores (better/worse with more/less sleep?) – The effect of medication on depression IV:Medication (or no medication) DV:Level of depression

15. The Experimental Method Control Groups & Experimental Groups – Experimental Group undergoes the experimental manipulation (and levels) Gets caffeine, doesn’t sleep, gets the medication, etc – Control Group does not get the manipulation They are the “normal” group Needed in order to compare to the experimental group – Placebo-Control Group Receive a “fake” manipulation Example: sugar pills in a medical experiment, non-alcoholic beer, decaffeinated coffee, etc.

16. Example 1 Experiment: – A professor wanted to see who had better memory, men or women. He tested 1000 Ss by showing them a list of words for 30 seconds, and then tested to see how many words they remembered – IV? Gender  Groups are selected based on a predetermined factor – DV? # words recalled  # of words recalled is being directly tested

17. Example 2 Experiment: – A professor wishes to see if consuming (caffeinated) green tea will affect memory. Ss are given either water or green tea to drink. Then, they are given a word list to remember and later recall. – IV? Type of drink (green tea vs. water) – Why is it important to have water? – DV? # of words recalled

18. Participant Bias Sometimes referred to as “demand characteristics” Occurs when people’s expectations about how they should act or feel changes their behavior or feelings – Does not just happen affect psychology experiments Consider the following… 18

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20. Combating Participant Bias Can be controlled by ensuring that participants in experiments are “blind” to the experimental goals and conditions – Ex. Candid Camera 20

21. Clever Hans 21

22. Experimenter Bias Experimenter Bias (“Rosenthal Effect”) – When the experimenter’s expectations influence the outcome of the research – “Maze Bright” vs. “Maze Dull” rats Randomly assigned rats from the same litter to two groups Told students they were either bright or dull, and let them run experiments on maze running ability “Maze Bright” rats performed significantly better – Real World Application: What happens when teachers identify the “bright” and “dull” students in their classrooms?

23. Classic Study: Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) Gave IQ tests to children at the beginning of the school year Teachers told tests identified certain students as “potential bloomers” – Randomly selected Hypothesis: – Teacher’s expectations would be sufficient to enhance academic performance

24. Results: Children tested again 8 months later – “Bloomers”: Significantly higher IQ scores than controls Classic Study: Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968)

25. Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Teacher expectations on student performance – 39% of 448 published studies: Expectations significantly affect performance High expectations can boost low achievers 25