PSYCHOLOGY AND SCIENCE

METHODS FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS Survey- obtain information by asking many individuals to answer a fixed set of questions Case Study- an in depth analysis of the of a single individual or group Experiment- method for identifying cause and effect relationships by following a set of rules and guidelines to minimize errors

SURVEY Advantages Disadvantages Quick and efficient way to collect information Compare ethnic, age, socioeconomic groups Disadvantages How the question is worded can alter the answers. Who asks the question can also change the answer

CASE STUDY Advantages Disadvantages Gives detailed description of a specific situation Disadvantages May be misconstrued if observer has preconceived ideas Great potential for bias Testimonial- an individual talks about their own experiences

EXPERIMENT Advantages Disadvantages Used to prove cause and effect Only research approach to PROVE cause and effect Disadvantages Artificial environment may dissuade natural behavior

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

I. INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES Interview- ask questions, one on one setting about a person’s attitudes and behaviors Questionnaire- asking subjects to read list of written questions and check off specific answers

II. STANDARDIZED TESTS A test that has been given to hundreds of people and shown to measure emotions, behaviors, thought patterns and personality traits Used to gather information from large groups of people Used to compare different groups of people

III. LABORATORY EXPERIMENT Used to gather information on the brain, genes or behavior Has lowest possibility for error or bias Use controlled environment for careful observation and measurement.

PLACEBO TREATMENTS Placebo – intervention (pills or other medical treatments) no medical effect university and hospital research Placebo effect – change in the illness attributed to the imagined treatment

IV. ANIMAL MODELS Used to examine or manipulate a behavioral, genetic, or physiological factor that is similar to a human problem or condition.

RESEARCH SETTINGS Naturalistic Laboratory Subject in their natural environment Children, animals, social psychology Observing without changing or controlling the situation Humans and animals Laboratory Controlled conditions Real world influences eliminated Artificial environment

SCIENTIFIC METHOD Seven Rules Ask Identify Choose Assign Manipulate Measure Analyze

I. ASK Develop main questions about what you are trying to figure out Hypothesis- an educated guess about a subject

II. IDENTIFY Independent Variable - researcher controls or manipulates (new medication for children) Dependent Variable - behavior of subject use (behavior of children)

III. CHOOSE Pick subjects for the experiment Random Selection - each subject in a population has an equal chance of being selected

IV. ASSIGN Experimental group - the group of subjects receiving the independent variable treatment Control Group - group of subjects that does everything the experimental group does except does not receive the independent variable no treatment

V. MANIPULATE Manipulate independent variable Ex: administer treatment Double Blind Procedure - neither the subjects nor the researchers know which group is receiving the treatment

VI. MEASURE In this step the researcher measures and observes how the independent variable affected the dependent variable

VII. ANALYZE Compare and analyze differences in data