research methods

The Science of Psychology

Basic Research: conducted to advance scientific knowledge

Applied Research: designed to solve practical problems

Is this an example of basic or applied research?

The Science of Psychology: Ethical Guidelines

Ethical Guidelines for Human Research Participants: • Informed consent• Voluntary participation• Restricted use of deception• Debriefing• Confidentiality• Alternative activities

Research Methods

Four key research methods:

1. Experimental2. Descriptive3. Correlational4. Biological

Art of Prediction

Four Key Research Methods (Continued)

1. Experimental Research: carefully controlled scientific procedure that manipulates variables to determine cause & effect

Research Methods—Experimental (Continued)

Key features of an experiment:

Independent variable (factor that is manipulated) versus dependent variable (factor that is measured)

Experimental group (receives treatment) versus control group (receives no treatment)

Does TV increase aggression? Only an experiment can determine cause & effect.

Research Methods—Experimental (Continued)

Potential researcheresearcher problems:Experimenter bias (researcher influences

the research results in the expected direction)

Ethnocentrism (believing one's culture is typical of all cultures)

Research Methods—Experimental (Continued)

Potential participantparticipant problems:Sample bias (research participants

are unrepresentative of the larger population)

Participant bias (research participants are influenced by the researcher or experimental conditions)

Research Methods—Descriptive

2. Descriptive Research: observes & records behavior without producing causal explanations

Research Methods—Descriptive

Three types of descriptive research:

• Naturalistic Observation (observation & recording of behavior in natural state or habitat)

• Survey (assessment of a sample or population)

• Case Study (in-depth study of a single participant)

What is the advantage of studying psychological research methods like naturalistic observation?

Pause & Reflect: Pause & Reflect: Psychology at Psychology at WorkWork

Research Methods—Correlational

3. Correlational Research: observes or measures (without directly manipulating) two or more variables to find relationships between them

Research Methods—Correlational

Positive Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the same direction—either up or down

Research Methods—Correlational

Negative Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the opposite direction—either up or down

Research Methods—Correlational

Zero Correlation: no relationship between two variables (when one variable increases, the other can increase, decrease, or stay the same)

Research Methods—Correlational

Research Methods—Biological

4. Biological Research: scientific studies of the brain & other parts of the nervous system