2.1 What is research Learning Targets Success Criteria Understand the types of research done in Psychology I can differentiate and describe the methods of research in Psychology.

Research in Psychology Asking the Right Questions and Finding the Answers

  ?          ?           ? We are psychologists posed with a question pertaining to behavior.  We have generated a hypothesis....now what?  List some ideas for ways of obtaining our answer through research? should come up with at least three kinds of research

Types of Research 1. Naturalistic Observation 2. Case Studies 3. Surveys 4. Longitudinal Studies 5. Cross Sectional Studies 6. Correlational Studies 7. Experiments

Naturalistic Observation Observing subjects without interfering Jane Goodall : Why wouldn’t psychologists interfer? : Who was Jane Goodall? What did she do?

Case Studies Intensive study of an individual or group. Tools used: Diaries Tests Interviews Observation Famous Case Studies Milgram Piaget Money 2 types: Retrospective (goes into the past) and Longitudinal (starts at beginning of event goes to the end) Famous- Milgram- shocks Piaget- development of his own children Money-John/Joan case, boy raised as a girl after botched circumsion. Didn’t work ended up living as a man. Commited suicide in 2004. called into question Money’s ethics.

Surveys Data is acquired through questionnaires and interviews Drawbacks Wording -- Is it bad to hate kittens? Lying Advantages? Wording- better wording is “How do you feel about kittens?” Lying- Advantages? What are some???

Longitudinal Studies Long term research and study of the same person/group Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Cross-Sectional Studies Based on age Assigned groups and surveyed randomly Correlations Define correlation.

Cross-Sectional Studies Based on age Assigned groups and surveyed randomly

Correlational Studies Which is a positive correlation? Negative? What would the graph look like if it had no correlation?

Experiments Important words Example: Candy Hypothesis Variables Experimental group Control group Example: Candy All spelled out in the book Hypothesis- Educated Guess Variables- conditions and behaviors that can change -independt- researchers change to alter behavior or outcome. -dependent- will change because of the independent Experimental Group- exposed to independent variable Control Group- not exposed to independent variable Example: Researchers want to know if chewing sugar free gum causes fewer cavaties than gum containing sugar. The sugar content of the gum is the independent variable while the number of cavaties is the dependent variable. The group with the sugar free gum is the control group while the group with sugar gum is the experimental group.

A researcher was interested in the effects of alcohol on perceptions of physical attractiveness of the opposite sex in a heterosexual sample. To study this, students from two of the professor's classes were asked to participate, a senior seminar for psychology majors which met Thursday evening once a week from 6-9pm, and a freshman introductory psychology class, which met two mornings a week at 10 am. Because the seniors were all at least 21 and thus legally able to drink, they were assigned to the condition that received 2 oz. of alcohol mixed in with 6 oz. of orange juice. The freshman were assigned to the “placebo” alcohol condition, in which they received 2 oz. of tonic water (which tastes like alcohol) mixed in 6 oz. of orange juice. However, everyone is told they are  really being served alcohol. Students were invited to participate in the study if they had a free hour after their class with the professor. The professor conducted the study on a Thursday, on a day when the introductory class had had an exam. Students drank either the “alcohol” or the placebo drink, waited 30 minutes in a lounge for the alcohol to take effect, and then sat at a computer and performed a five-minute task in which they rated various faces of the opposite sex on physical attractiveness. The group that had received alcohol rated the faces as more attractive than the group that did not receive alcohol and the professor concluded that alcohol makes people of the opposite sex appear more attractive. Is the professor’s conclusion a reasonable one? Why or why not?