Research Methods

Why do we have to learn this stuff Psychology is first and foremost a science  it is based in research Before we delve into how to do research, we have to look at hurdles that tend to skew our logic

Intuition is Limited! We must use critical thinking: thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions examines assumptions discerns hidden values evaluates evidence

Hindsight Bias Monday Morning Quarterbacking!!! The tendency to believe, after learning the outcome, that you knew it all along. After the Chris Brown/Rihanna incident….my friend said she knew Chris Brown was a violent kid!!! Did she really?

Overconfidence We tend to think we know more than we do. 82% of U.S. drivers consider themselves to be in the top 30% of their group in terms of safety. 81% of new business owners felt they had an excellent chance of their businesses succeeding. When asked about the success of their peers, the answer was only 39%. (Now that's overconfidence!!!)

The Barnum Effect It is the tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate. Think horoscopes, palm readers, psychics

Applied V. Basic Research Applied Research has clear, practical applications. YOU CAN USE IT!!! Basic Research explores questions that you may be curious about, but not intended to be immediately used. Studying how kissing changes when you get older is interesting…but that’s about it. Research on therapies for drug addicts has a clear purpose.

Research Methods Think about it: How does a psychologist decide what to study? It starts with observation and a theory

Research methods: Scientific Theory Explains behavior by organizing observations and predicting behaviors or events

Let’s make a theory OBSERVE: I observe that in my classes, students that sit in the front do better than those that sit in the back.  THEORIZE: I theorize that sitting in the front contributes to good grades.

Let’s make a theory OBSERVE: I observe that when I drink coffee in the morning I am more anxious. THEORIZE: I theorize that caffeine contributes to anxiety.

Let’s make a theory OBSERVE: I observe that when I listen to music while reading, the task takes more time but when I listen to music while cleaning, the job gets done faster. THEORIZE: I theorize that listening to music interferes with complex cognitive tasks but improves productivity of less complex cognitive tasks.

Research Methods: Hypothesis Now we have to take our theory and make it into something we can test, a hypothesis. THEORIZE: I theorize that sitting in the front contributes to good grades. HYPOTHESIZE: (IF ______ THEN _______) I hypothesize that IF students sit in the first row THEN they will earn higher grades on Unit Tests.

Research Methods: Hypothesis The key to having a hypothesis is having what scientists call operational definitions.  An operational definition clearly identifies how variables will be measured and makes replication possible. Why is it important to replicate a study?

Research methods: hypothesis I observe that in my classes, students that sit in the front do better than those that sit in the back. What is the problem with this hypothesis? If students sit in the first row, then they will earn higher grades on AP Psych Unit Tests.

Let’s make a hypothesis Be sure to operationally define your variables (explain how the variables will be measured). Observe: I observe that when I drink coffee in the morning I am more anxious. Theorize: I theorize that caffeine contributes to anxiety. Hypothesis If ___________________, then ______________________.

Let’s make a hypothesis Be sure to operationally define your variables (explain how the variables will be measured). Observe: I observe that when I drink coffee in the morning I am more anxious. Theorize: I theorize that caffeine contributes to anxiety. Hypothesis If I drink two cups of coffee, then my heart rate will increase.

Testing the hypothesis Research methods fall into 3 categories: Descriptive: simply describes the event Correlational: describes the relationship between variables but does not show causation Experimental: attempts to actually show a cause/effect relationship

Descriptive Research Case Study Studies one individual (group or event) in great depth + Allows researchers to study rare cases +Can suggest hypothesis for future studies - Individuals may not be representative of entire population -difficult/impossible to replicate 19 Kids and Counting tells us an interesting story about one family. What does it tell us about families in general?

Naturalistic Observation Descriptive Research Naturalistic Observation Observing and recording behavior in a natural setting without trying to manipulate or control the situation +Records behaviors of people in their natural settings +Can suggest hypothesis for future study -Does not explain behavior, only describes it

Naturalistic Observation Descriptive Research Naturalistic Observation Researchers compared the play of 76 children, ages four to six. Children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to engage in imaginative / pretend play. -2007 Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

Descriptive/Correlational Research Survey Asking people to report their behaviors or opinions Most common type of study in psychology +allows researchers to study a lot of people +relatively quick/inexpensive -wording can greatly influence results -if sample is not representative then results aren’t descriptive of population -low response rate