1. Methods of Studying Human Behavior

2. What do Psychologists Do?
Academic Psychologists
Basic Research
Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
Applied Research
Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems in the real world
Basic Examples
Biological: Do repetitive behaviors, such as piano playing, produce changes in the brain?
Social: Under what circumstances do young adults conform to the wishes of their peers?
Developmental: (womb to tomb) “How do friendships of 6 year olds differ from friendships of 10 years olds? (social: how to female friendships differ from male?)
Cognitive: “How does the memory of an old home phone number affect the memory of a new home phone number?”
Applied Examples
Organizational psychologists: help businesses and organizations operate better and more efficiently
Human-factors psychologists: explore how people and machines interact at home and in the workplace to minimize frustration and maximize safety and productivity
Psychometricians: create and evaluate standardized tests you’ve been taking since elementary school
Educational psychologists: apply psychological principles to the classroom and to curriculum development hg

3. The Scientific Method
A method of learning about the world through the application of critical thinking and tools such as observation, experimentation, and statistical analysis
Research that employs the scientific method leads to logical, supported conclusions that allow us to make informed decisions
Well-designed research produces more reliable answers than do conclusions based on common sense, which tend to vary from one person to another

4. Bias in Research Researcher Bias Participant bias
A tendency for researchers to engage in behaviors and selectively notice evidence that supports their hypothesis or expectations (they see what they want to see)
Participant bias
A tendency for research participants to respond in a certain way because they know they are being observed or they believe that know what the researcher wants (they do what they think the researchers want them to do)

5. Methods for Studying Behavior
Naturalistic Observation
Case Study
Survey
Longitudinal
Cross-Sectional
Correlational
“Other”
THE EXPERIMENT

6. Naturalistic Observation
Observing and recording NATURAL behavior- as little researcher interference as possible
Advantages
Minimizes participant bias
Disadvantages
Doesn’t explain behavior; just describes it
Ranges from watching chimpanzees to recording students’ self-seating patterns in the lunchrooms of multiracial schools

7. Case Study
One person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Advantages
In depth information
Sometimes only ethical option
Disadvantages
Not necessarily representative
Prone to bias
Unethical: can’t abuse a sample of children, however, when you find one “Genie” year old spent her life in isolation. Researchers studied her behavior and progress to learn about development of language, social and other skills

8. Survey
Self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a sample of people through the use of questionnaires or interviews.
Advantages
Large # of data
Efficient
Inexpensive
Disadvantages
Biased questions
Social desirability
Need a random sample
Random sample, everyone in a population has an equal chance of being selected

9. Studies the same group of individuals over a long period of time
Longitudinal Studies
Studies the same group of individuals over a long period of time
Advantages
-Particularly useful to develop. psychologists
Rich source of information
Disadvantages
Expensive
Difficult to conduct, so rare

10. Cross-Sectional Studies
Studies/Compares individuals from different age groups at one time, More common than longitudinal
Advantages
More efficient than longitudinal
Disadvantages
Conclusions questionable/too many variables
Too many variables (e.g., ? How creativity changes over the life span… if found younger group more creative than older group could be due to changes in educational system or the introduction of computers)

11. Correlational Study
Research project designed to discover the degree to which two variables are related to each other
VERY IMPORTANT:
The discovery of a correlation does not prove that a cause and effect relationship exists.
May, however, be predictive
The ONLY way to prove causation is with a carefully controlled experiment
Diet & health?
Communication style and divorce?
Training techniques and success in the Olympics?
Study habits and grades?
e.g., whether or not a student wears headphones

12. Positive Correlation When variables increase or decrease together
Both variables increase together… OR
(As headphone use increases, so does effectiveness of studying
When variables increase or decrease together
=positive correlation

13. Positive Correlation
Generally not a perfect correlation, but looks more like this

14. Negative Correlation One variable increases while the other decreases
The more we wear headphones, the less effective our studying.
One variable increases while the other decreases
=negative correlation

15. Negative Correlation
Or this…

16. Experiment Outline Assignment
Only method that allows us to draw conclusions about cause & effect
A method in which the researcher manipulates one or more factors (independent variable) to observe the effect on other variables (dependent variables) while controlling the confounding variables
Experiment Outline Assignment