1. Research in Psychology
Mrs. Schlicht

2. Learning Targets
1. Compare & Contrast the research methods- experiment, case study, survey, naturalistic observation
2. Identify & apply the parts of an experiment (independent variable, dependent, population)
3. Describe & identify correlational studies
4. Differentiate between the measures of central tendency & variation.
5. Define & identify standard deviation

3. The Need for Psychological Science
•Several Limits to our Intuition and Common Sense
–Confirmation Bias (we look for what we believe)
–Hindsight Bias (“I knew it all along”)
–Overconfidence (we think we know more than we really do)

4. Hindsight Bias
•sometimes called the I- knew-it-all-along effect, is the inclination to see events that have occurred as more predictable than they in fact were before they took place.

5. Overconfidence Unscramble this... funeral are real fun inch ear impart
cheater
real fun
ear
chin
armpit
teacher

6. Overconfidence
•the human tendency to be more confident in one's behaviors, attributes and physical characteristics than one ought to be.
•…or, the tendency to be more confident than correct.

7. Scientific
Method
this should be review

9. Operational Definitions
So other researchers can replicate your experiment/study.
Is it reliable? Is it valid?
the definition of behaviors and qualities in terms of how they are to be measured.
How do we define smiling?

10. Descriptive Studies: Case Study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

11. Descriptive Studies: Survey
a technique for finding out the attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.
Population: people in the study from which samples may be drawn.
Random Sampling: a fair representation of the population

12. Descriptive Studies: Survey
Wording Effects:
“aid the needy” vs
“welfare”
“I tell my friends everything”
vs. I trust my friends.

13. Descriptive Studies: Naturalistic Observation
Just like it sounds...studying a person, group or animals in their natural settings. The researchers is not trying to manipulate or control the situation

14. Descriptive Studies: Naturalistic Observation
Hawthorne Effect: if you know you are being studied, you act differently than you normally do

15. •More accurate than reports after the fact •Behavior is more natural
Research Method
Advantages
Limitations
Naturalistic Observation
•More accurate than reports after the fact
•Behavior is more natural
•Observer can alter behavior
•Observer Bias
•Not generalizable
Survey
• Immense amount of data
•Quick and inexpensive
•Generalizable
•Replicable
•Poor sampling can skew results
•Wording Effect
•Social Desirability Bias
(yours answers would be viewed as favorably by others)
Case Studies
•Depth
•Takes advantage of circumstances that can not be replicated
•Time consuming and expensive
•Observational Bias

16. Experiments
The purpose of an experiment is to determine how a treatment affects a behavior.
-- Looking for cause and effect

17. Variables
Dependent Variable: the measured variable. Ask, “What is the researcher measuring or looking for in this study?”
Independent Variable: manipulated variable. Ask, “What do the researchers hope will cause the DV in this study?”

18. Variables
Confounding: Other variables that could influence the results of the experiment

19. Random Assignment not to be confused with Random Sample
Each person IN THE STUDY has an equal opportunity to be in the control or experimental group.
helps control for extraneous variables and researcher bias

20. Experiments Placebo effect- “fake” - “sugar pill”
Give patients in control group placebo pill
Give patients in experimental group the real pill
Blind- patients do not know
Double blind- neither Researcher nor patient know

21. STOP! Let’s Practice!
We want to test the effects of caffeine on the behavior of high school teachers at OSHS
Hypothesis
Operational Definitions
Population (Random Sample)
Control Group vs. Experimental Group
Random Assignment
Independent Variable & Dependent Variable
Confounding Variables