1. Experiments

2. Objectives
Compare and contrast the methods of experiments versus the methods of observation.

3. Methods of Research Correlations
Best to interpret and analyze observations
Measure how close one thing is related to another, scatterplots
Stronger correlation, closer they are related
Positive correlation: as one goes up, so does the other (+,+)
Negative correlation: as one goes up, the other goes down (+,-)
Only reveals relationship between two things
Illusory correlations

4. Review
Application Activity 2

5. Experimental and Control Groups
Goals for experimentation:
Manipulation
Control
Cause and effect
Test reliability and validity
Experimental Group – receives treatment
Control Group – do not receive experimental treatment
These help to determine if the independent variable influences behavior
Using both is called a controlled experiment

6. Independent and Dependent Variables
Variables: factors that can vary or change
Independent Variable: factor that is manipulated
Ex: Warm temperatures cause aggression in humans.
Confounding Variable: produce other effects (RA)
Dependent Variable: factor that is measured
Ex: Amount of hours studying affects performance on an exam

7. Avoiding Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
influencing the behavior of the participant.
Avoid this by…
Single-Blind Study – keeping the participant unaware of treatment they are receiving
Double-Blind Study – neither the participant nor the experimenter know who receives drug/placebo

8. The Placebo Effect Too often our expectations affect what happen to us
Feeling better because we expect to, example
Placebo: substance that has no affect a part from a person’s belief in it (sugar pill)

9. The Milgram Experiment
Measured the willingness to obey an authority figure.
Results show that ordinary individuals could easily inflict pain
Great example of a single-blind study

10. Assignment
Given the Practice in Identifying Variables sheet, read over each experiment and for each experiment do the following:
List the hypothesis
List the control and experimental group
List the IV/DV

11. Statistical Evaluation
Problems and Solutions in Research

12. Bell Ringer: Hi-Low Game
Directions:
Pair up with someone next to you.
The teacher will read a fact without using the number.
One student should write a number and show it to their opponent.
The opponent should then decide if they feel the actual answer is higher or lower than the number guessed.
The best of three rounds wins!
Question:
How did you base your guesses?
How is this information acquired?
How do they make the sample representative?
What do we do with the data once we have compiled the information?

13. Discussion Respond to the following quote:
“What good fortune for those in power that people do not think.”
What is the meaning behind this quote?
How could this quote apply to research?
What problems are there with not thinking?

14. Descriptive Statistics
Statistics: make sense of the data received
Quantitative: numbers
Qualitative: opinions
Most common
Central tendency
Variability

15. Measures of Central Tendency
Quantitative Data
Daniel =
Suzanne = 50
Craig =
Allison =
Hillary =
Meaghan = 80
Erica =
Thomas = 65
Stephen = Total = 675
This is a number that describes something about the “average” score of a distribution
Mean: the average score
Median: put in order from least to most, the middle score
Mode: the most frequent score
Bimodal: if there are two modes within the distribution

16. Measures of Variability
Tightly clustered or widely spread
Standard Deviation = distance between a particular score and the mean
Allison = 100
Avg. = 75
Dev. = 25
Qualitative Data
Looking for patterns in responses
Topics frequently mentioned, themes

17. Does it really work? Reliability = consistency
A test is considered reliable if we get the same result repeatedly.
The results should be approximately the same
Validity = effective
Test measures what it is supposed to measure

18. Ethics in Research

19. Bell Ringer Given the following situation, what would you do?
Step 1: The status of the economy is very poor. You do not have a job and the only chance of bringing money home is to work for the military. If you join you will become wealthy and will have an endless supply of food. Do you join the military?
If yes, follow step 2.
If no, follow step 3.
Step 2: Now that you have joined the military you are told that you will have to kill anyone and everyone that does not fulfill the prophecy of the government. If you do not follow instructions, the government will take your family away. What will you do? Explain why.
Step 3: The government has told you that if you do not comply by their wishes that you will not be given any food and you will be forced to work without pay. How do you react? Explain why.

20. Objectives Identify and outline the guidelines to ethics in research.
Apply the ethics in research to current research project.
Assess the value of research done on animals.

21. Research With People
Confidentiality – records are private, more likely to disclose true information
Informed Consent – people agree to participate in the experiment, given general overview of the research
Debriefing – full disclosure to research participants of the true nature and purpose of research project after completion

22. Research With Animals
In few cases it is necessary to test things on animals
Only when the potential benefits outweigh the harm
There are no ethical rules for using animals as research objects
Ethics in Using Data:
Necessary to be objective
Must be willing to disregard hypothesis

23. Additional Questions (Short Answer)
41. Why might a double-blind study yield more reliable results than a single-blind study?
42. In what ways does the role of a psychiatrist and that of a psychologist differ?
43. What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
44. What is the difference between experimental and control groups as related to the experiment process?
45. What do we try to prove by using an experimental group and a control group?