Objective = fact Subjective = opinion Objectivity Being objective refers to the need to be impartial and judgement free. It is important that the dependent variable is measured objectively, so that the opinions or judgements of the researcher do not affect how the dependent variable is recorded Objective = fact Subjective = opinion

Objectivity in Cognitive Psychology Cognitive psychology studies concepts, such as memory, that cannot be directly observed and measured. Cognitive psychologists would agree that we cannot objectively measure mental processes, but we can objectively observe the data produced by experiments and neuroimaging techniques. If we conduct a short-term memory test that records a participant recall of five words, this is an objective measurement of short-term memory. If we use a PET scan to test brain functioning during a memory experiment, we can objectively observe regions of the brain that are active during the task