1. Research in Psychology A Scientific Endeavor

2. Goals of Psychological Research Description of social behavior Are people who grow up in warm climates different from those in cold climates? Establish a relationship between cause & effect Does heat cause higher amounts of aggression? Develop theories about why people behave the way that they do We dislike Duke students to feel better about ourselves Application Creating effective therapeutic treatments, more successful negotiation tactics, and greater understanding amongst groups of people

3. Empirical Research Empirical Knowledge based on direct observation Theory Set of ideas which try to explain what we observe Goal is to find support OR disprove  We can never prove!! Theoretical diversity

4. The Process of Doing Research First, select a topic Good theory:  Has predictive power  Is simple & straightforward Then, search the literature Find out what others have done that may be applicable to your area of interest

5. The Process of Doing Research Next, formulate hypotheses Hypothesis: specific statement of expectation derived from theory  State the relationship between two variables Variable: can be any event, characteristic, condition, or behavior

6. The Process of Doing Research Then pick your research method Design Experimental vs. correlational (Design) Setting Field vs. laboratory (Setting) Finally, collect & analyze your data

7. Let’s take a closer look...at variables Dependent variable (outcome variable) Dependent on the influence of other factor(s) How do we operationalize? Independent variable (predictor variable) Factor(s) that change the outcome variable How do we operationalize & manipulate? Control group

8. Let’s take a closer look... at research methods Experimental vs. correlational designs Correlational: observe the relationship between two variables  Describe patterns of behavior Types include  Naturalistic observation  Case studies  Surveys

9. Correlational research Advantages Sometimes manipulation of variables is impossible or unethical Efficient – look at lots of data Disadvantages CANNOT DETERMINE CAUSATION Could be a lurking variable

10. Experimental Research Researcher manipulates one variable (IV) to see effect on other variable (DV) Try to hold everything else constant True experiments have Random sampling: selecting Ps randomly from population Random assignment: chance assignment to condition

11. Ethics in Research Should the study be done? Value vs. potential cost APA guidelines, IRB, colleagues How do we protect Ps? Informed consent Confidentiality & anonymity Debriefing