II. Research & Methods. Basic Types of Research Case Study Survey Naturalistic Observation Correlation Experimentation How do you choose your population

II. Research & Methods

Basic Types of Research

Case Study

Survey

Naturalistic Observation

Correlation

Experimentation

How do you choose your population for research?

Theory

Laws

Discard the theory

Hypothesis Empirical Research

Confidence inTheory increases

Confidence in theory decreases

Findings support Hypothesis

Findings do not support HypothesisRevise/Refine theory

Furth

er Rese

arch

Absolute Truth

With enough

evidence

Scientific Method

Formulate a hypothesis

Design the study

Collect the data

Analyze the data and draw conclusions

Report the findings

Hypothesis Empirical Research

Confidence inTheory increases

Confidence in theory decreases

Findings support Hypothesis

Findings do not support HypothesisRevise/Refine theory

Furth

er Rese

arch

Scientific Method

ExperimentationExperiments have variables, factors that

exist in different types or amounts

Independent Variable

(I.V.)

Dependent Variable (D.V.)

Confounding Variable

What the experimenter manipulates in the study; what is “done” to the experimental group

What the experimenter measures; it is “dependent upon” whether or not the participants receive the IV.

Variables the experimenter did not control for that may have affected the results

ExperimentationCodependent Variables – when two

variables must be present together and could effect the outcome.Ex: height & weight, age & memory

ExperimentationTypes of Groups in an Experiment

Population – all of the individuals in the group to which the study applies

Control Group – part of the experiment but does not receive treatment.

Experimental Group – receives the tx

Experimental Bias – when the researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of the study influence the results

ExperimentationTypes of Groups in an Experiment

Confirmation bias – when the experimenter consciously or unconsciously look to confirm what they already believe about their hypothesis

How can confirmation bias and experimental bias be prevented?

Double Blind – to prevent experimental bias; the experimenter and participates do not know of group placement.

Placebo – subjects are given an imitation of the tx; could result in placebo effect.

Self-fulfilling prophecy – known as placebo effect, subjects believe they are feeling the effects of the tx

Identifying Quality Research Designs

Jared wants to look at how coffee intake affects attention in the morning classes. He plans on

asking 100 students (50 coffee drinkers, 50 non-coffee drinkers) to take part in his study, then

distribute surveys to their morning teachers. The trial will last for one school week (5 days, M-F).

On a scale of 1-5 (1 being Poor, 5 being excellent) rate the quality of this study and defend your

position.

Identifying Quality Research Designs

Sandy would like to study the effects of offseason training on athletics. She would like to see how a minimum of 3 hours a week of workouts by no less than 50% of a team affects the win-loss record of that team compared to the average win-loss record of the previous 5 years. She will

look at 4 sports: Football, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, and Girls Soccer. Some confounding variables

that she has thought about are the presence of multi-sport athletes, point differential (vs. win-loss), and the

effect of any potential star players.

On a scale of 1-5 (1 being Poor, 5 being excellent) rate the quality of this study and defend your position.

Design an ExperimentIn groups of 3, design an experiment. Be sure to record the following items in your notes:

1) Motivating Problem

2) Hypothesis

3) Population

4) Research Method; include IV, DV, and how you will minimize confounding variables

5) Procedures with Operational Definitions

From the reading…What did you take away from how

populations are chosen?

What is the difference between correlation & causation?

What are some advantages and disadvantages for the following research methods:Case StudySurveyNaturalistic observationCorrelationExperimentation

Statistics Reading Packet

Due Thursday, 9/10Read the packet labeled, Module 7, and take notes based on the following items:

Difference between descriptive and inferential statistics.

Define and understand basic statistical concepts.

How do psychologists decide whether differences are meaningful?

Packet is similar to pages 39-44 in your textbook

Questions to Ponder Can laboratory experiments illuminate

everyday behavior?

Does behavior depend on one’s culture?

Does behavior vary with gender?

Why do psychologists study animals?

Is it ethical to experiment on Animals?

Is it ethical to experiment on people?

EthicsAmerican Psychological Association (1992) and British Psychological Society (1993) developed ethical principles:

1) Obtain the informed consent of potential participants

2) Protect them from harm and discomfort

3) Treat information about individual participants confidentially

4) Proper debriefing by full explanation of the research afterward

Read the situation below and decide which ethical guideline is not being followed.

A teacher in your school gives you a mandatory anonymous drug use survey to

complete in class and tells you she cannot let you know why you are completing the survey

because it would throw of her results.

IC - Informed Consent H - Protection from

physical or emotional harm

C - Confidentiality D - Debriefing


You agree to participate in an experiment that is designed to measure your ability to lie in various

circumstances. Under the direction of the researcher, you make false statements to your

mother, your best friend, and your favorite teacher (Mr. K). The guilt you feel after lying to these influential and important people has your

questioning your morals and values.





A psychologist in your town is invited to speak at career day at your school. You have been seeing

the psychologist for more than a year for depression and attempted suicide. At career day

the psychologist speaks of working with teen patients who are depressed and have attempted suicide and cites a few examples of his cases.

Although he uses no names, you feel he is talking about you and run from the room embarrassed.





At the conclusion of a study testing memory and mood, you are released by the researcher,

paid a small fee, and thanked for your time.





You are appointed to serve on the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the research university where you teach, and will be screening

research proposals to safeguard participant's well-being. A proposal is presented in which a researcher will be gathering data on the

correlation between divorce and alcohol use disorder in celebrities. The proposal lists the researcher methodology, the sample

population, and the manner in which the results of the study will be communicated. The researcher intents to write an article for a

journal in the field, and also publish the results of the study in an entertainment magazine. He feels that if people know the actual

names of the participants, they may take the results more seriously and so he intends to list the names in the entertainment articles.




StatisticsWhat is statistics?

the study of the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data

Descriptive statistic- numbers that summarize a set of research data obtained from a sample

Ex: graphs Measure of Central Tendency

A single value that attempts to describe a set of data by identifying the central position within research data.

Mean (average), median (middle number), mode (most common) which one are you most interested in?

StatisticsNormal distribution – normal bell curve (symmetrical)Skewed distribution – scores that are squeezed that are squeezed to one side of the scale.

StatisticsMeasures of Variation

Describes the distribution of dataThe range is the difference between the greatest

and the leastStandard deviation is more useful because it

describes how scores differ (deviate) from one another. Inferential statistics- numbers used to interpret data

and draw conclusionsAllows one to infer from sample data the probability of

something being true to the population. Statistical Significance

when sample averages are reliable and the difference bt them is relatively large

Meaning the observed difference is probably not due to chance

Usually leaving room for 5% error, meaning one will get these results 95/100 of the time.

7, 15, 20, 4, 8, 5, 4

Calculate the following:

Mean _______ Median _______ Mode _______

Range _______

Standard Deviation ___________

Sample QuestionsWhich of the following accurately describes the three measures of central tendency for the following scores on a quiz? 3, 7, 6, 10, 4

A) The S.D. is < 2, there is no mode, and the median is 6.

B) The S.D. is > 2, the mean is 6, and the variance is 4.

C) The mean is 6, the mode is 3, and the median is 6.

D) The mean is 6, there is not mode, and the median is 6.

E) The range is 6, the mean is 5, and the median is 4.

Sample QuestionsWhen scores in a distribution are negatively skewed

A) The mean, median and mode are the same

B) The median value will be higher than the mean value

C) The median value will be the same as the mode

D) The mode and the mean will be the same

E) The range will be the same as the median

Sample QuestionsWhich of the following is the most likely value for “r” in a study examining the correlation in adult males between age in years and amount of hair on the head?

A) r = +1.25 (positive)

B) r = - .97 (negative)

C) r = - .44 (negative)

D) r = + .79 (positive)

E) r = - 1.17 (negative)

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II. Research & Methods. Basic Types of Research Case Study Survey Naturalistic Observation Correlation Experimentation How do you choose your population