Slide 1

Scientific Method& Descriptive Research MethodsModule 5

Goals of PsychologyDescribeObjectively describe the different ways that organisms behaveExplainExplain the Cause of the Behavior? Why?PredictPredict how organisms will behave in certain situationsControlControl an organisms behavior or change it

Dont Eat Purple Cheese!Scientific Method

TheoryTentative explanation for observed findingsOrganizes results from accumulation of highly researched, rigorously tested findings from individual studies Leads to hypothesis/predictions which leads to researchReflects self-correcting nature of scientific method.Good way to think about a Theory: Prosecuting Attorney presents their theory backed up by evidence to the jury.

HypothesisA testable prediction derived from a theory.Explains what the researcher is trying to find out"If {these changes are made to a certain independent variable}, then we will observe {a change in a specific dependent variable}."Checklist:Does your hypothesis focus on something that you can actually test?Does your hypothesis include both an independent and dependent variable?Can you manipulate the variables?Can your hypothesis be tested without violating ethical standards?Examples:"Students who eat breakfast will perform better on a math exam than students who do not eat breakfast.""Students who experiencetest anxietyprior to an English exam will get higher scores than students who do not experience test anxiety."

Operational DefinitionsHow will you observe & measure the behavior you are studying?Must be objective and able to be repeated by othersMust reduce a behavior to a number for statistical analysis

How would you operationally defineHappinessPopularityA SmileIntelligence

ReplicationFor a study to be valid, it must beReplicated/Repeated with different people in different situations to determine if the results from the original study are correct Only then can results be generalized (applied to most people)Why is Research Important?Method of asking questions then drawing logical supported conclusionsResearchers need to be able to determine if conclusions are reasonable or not (critical thinking).

Does this seem like aReasonable conclusion?Descriptive StudiesDescriptivestrategies for observing and describing behavior (answer who, what, when, where & how often)Case studiesNaturalistic observationSurveysCorrelational methodsThese do NOT Show Cause and Effect

Case StudyIn depth study of one individual with the hopes of determining universal principlesDifficulty of applying data from one person to everyoneGenerally used to investigate rare, unusual, or extreme conditions

Naturalistic ObservationMethod of observation where subjects are observed in their natural environmentSubjects are not aware they are being watchedCould use hidden cameras or two way mirrorsOnly describes behavior, NOT explain it.

Enemy to Naturalistic Observation:Participant Bias/ Hawthorne Effect Tendency of research subjects to respond in certain ways because they know they are being observedThe subjects might try to behave in ways they believe the researcher wants them to behaveSubject cant know theyre being watched or theyll change their behavior!Named after Hawthorne Works study on productivity where every variable looked at (levels of light, listening to music) increased worker productivity? Why?Survey MethodResearch method that relies on self-reports to find out attitudes and behaviors of a particular group.Usually a very efficient and inexpensive methodBe careful what we take from polling information: 20 Questions to Ask About Poll/Survey ResultsWatch out for Framing/Wording Effects The way a question is worded can bias the answer.

Framing & Wording EffectsHow you ask the question matters! You must ask it in a neutral way.

One survey found that 77% were interested in plants and trees but only 39% were interested in botany.

Lets say you work for the Centers for Disease Control and there is an outbreak of a deadly disease called The Mojave Flu in a town of 600 people. All 600 people in the town are expected to die if you do nothing. Lets say you have come up with two different programs designed to fight to the disease:

With Program 1: 200 people in the town will be savedWith Program 2: There is a 1/3rd probability that 600 people will be saved, and a 2/3rds probability that no people will be saved.In the study, 72% of the subjects picked Program 1. Now consider the same scenario worded differently:

With Program 3: 400 people in the town will dieWith Program 4: There is a 1/3rd probability that nobody will die, and a 2/3rds probability that 600 people will die.Now which do you pick? In the study, 78% of the subjects picked Program 4, even though the net result of the second set of choices is exactly the same as the first set (Programs 1 and 3 mean the same thing, and Programs 2 and 4 mean the same thing).

SamplingTermsPopulationlarge (potentially infinite) group represented by the sample. Findings are generalized to this group.Sampleselected segment of the populationRandom selectionevery member of larger group has equal chance of being selected for the study sampleRandom Sample Results from random selection, each member of the population had an equal chance of being included.If a sample is not random it is said to be biased.Representative/Stratified sampleclosely parallels the population on relevant characteristicsYour goal is to get a representative sample and avoid sampling bias unrepresentative sample that cant be generalized on the rest of the population.Watch this short clip on the difference between these. (3 min)

Blinded me with ScienceAaron & Steffanie PortengaAaron & Steffanie Portenga's AlbumPowerPoint Clip11572.221eng - 0eng - 00000968 00000A6E 00002B53 000031A5 000007DB 000013CB 000069A1 00005FF7 000007DB 00000500eng - 00000000 00000210 0000093C 000000000007BE34 00000000 000377C1 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000Private Eyes - PsychAaron & Steffanie PortengaAaron & Steffanie Portenga's Album201314053.817eng - iTunNORM 000008ED 000007D9 000030DB 000028DB 0000073E 0000073E 000078D7 00007E8D 0000199C 0000199Ceng - iTunSMPB 00000000 00000210 00000738 0000000000096BB8 00000000 0003614F 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000