 Used to observe and describe behavior  Help to answer questions such when do certain behaviors occur  How often does the behavior occur  Is the behavior related to other factors such as age, ethnic group or educational level

 The systematic observation and recording of behaviors as they occur in their natural setting  Non-intrusive  Realistic settings

 Advantages:  Study behaviors that can not be ethically manipulated  Ex: School children being bullied on the playground

 Disadvantages:  Can not control variables  Data collection may be inefficient  Investigator bias may exist  Does not show cause and effect  Sigmund Freud

 An intensive study of a single individual or small group of similar individuals resulting in a detailed picture of the individual

 Advantages:  Complex behavior can be intensively studied and used to provide insights into the psyche of the individual/group or used to improve treatment strategies

 Disadvantages:  Data collected may be based on false memories  Does not show cause and effect  Individual may be lying

 A questionnaire or interview designed to investigate the opinions, behaviors, or characteristics or a particular group.

 Advantages:  Efficient collection of data from a large group  Can be used to measure attitudes or opinions

 Disadvantages:  Subjects may lie or be dishonest  Does not show cause and effect  Responses may be altered by collection method  Ex: Motivated subjects may be more likely to submit

 A research strategy that allows the precise calculation of how strongly related, or associated, two factors are to each other  Correlation coefficient: A numerical indication of the magnitude and directions of the relationship between two variables

 Correlation Coefficient:  The closer a correlation coefficient is to 1.00, whether it is positive or negative, the stronger the correlation between the two factors  Positive correlation: When the two factors vary in the same direction., i.e. the factors both increase or decrease  Negative correlation: When the two factors vary in opposite directions., i.e. one factor increase and the other decreases

 Advantages:  Relationships between two un-like/dis-similar variables can be established:  The strength of the relationship between the two variables can be tested and evaluated, thus weak relationships can be ruled out for further study  Strong relationships can be used to make meaningful predications

 Disadvantages:  Can not control the variables  Does not show cause and effect

 Is a research method used in Psychology to demonstrate a cause and effect relationship between changes in one variable and the effect that is produced on another variable.  Conducting an experiment involves deliberately varying one factor and observing the effect on the subject

 Advantages:  Produces empirical evidence that does show cause and effect

 Disadvantages: Philip Zimbardo  Results may be misinterpreted  Results may be tainted if the experiment is not set up correctly or the researchers have bias  If experiments are conducted in the laboratory the behavior may have little to do with actual behavior  Some research may not be able to reflect actual behavior, ex. How living together before marriage effects divorce rates later in life

 Independent Variable:  The purposely manipulated factor thought to produce change in an experiment:  The factor or variable that is manipulated by the scientist in order to change the behavior of the subject

 Dependent Variable:  The factor that is observed and measured fro change in an experiment  Is always the subject behavior  Is “dependent” on the changes in the independent variable or what the scientist has manipulated

 Experimental Group:  The group of subjects who are exposed to all conditions of the experiment, including the independent variables

 Control Group (Placebo Control Group):  The group of subjects who are exposed to all conditions of the experiment, EXCEPT the independent variables

 Random Assignment: the process of assigning participants to either the experiment group or the control group so that all have an equal chance of being in either grouping  Helps to ensure that any potential differences among the participants are spread out evenly across all experimental conditions  Minimizes the possibility of bias by the researchers

 Single-blind Study:  Type of experiment where the researchers are aware of all of the critical information, but the subjects do not know about this information.

 Double-blind Study:  Neither the subjects or the researchers are aware of which group has been assigned to the experimental group or the control group  Used to guard against the possibility that the researcher inadvertently becomes a confounding part of the experiment by displaying subtle cues that may bias the results

 Placebo:  A fake substance, treatment or procedure that has no known direct effect. It looks like the real independent variable, but despite its convincing appearance, it is a sham  Place Effect: any change attributed to a person's beliefs and expectations rather than an actual drug or treatment