1. What is Research?

2. JANE GOODALL
Observed chimpanzees in Tanzania, Africa for more than 30 years
She used the research method of naturalistic observation
Collect information like most people do in everyday life-only more carefully and more systematically

3. PRE-RESEARCH DECISIONS
Must ask a specific question about a limited topic or hypothesis
The method or research depends on the research topic
It does not matter what approach the data is collected, but decisions need to be made ahead of time

4. SAMPLES
A sample is the small group of participants, out of the total number available, that a researcher studies

5. METHODS OF RESEARCH
Surveys- research method in which information is obtained by asking many individuals a fixed set of questions
Longitudinal study- research method in which data are collected about a group of participants over a number of years to access how certain characteristics change or remain the same during development.

6. EXPERIMENTS
Hypothesis- an educated guess about the relationship between two variables
Variable- any factor that is capable of change
Experimental group- the group to which an independent variable is applied
Control group- the group that is treated in the same way as the experimental group except that the experimental treatment (the independent variable is not applied.

7. ETHICAL ISSUES
Ethics- the methods of conduct or standards for proper and responsible behavior
Using animals in research has become an issue in recent years

8. Problems and Solutions in Research
SECTION 2
Problems and Solutions in Research

9. SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
Is a situation in which a researcher’s expectations influence that person’s own behavior, and thereby influence the participants behavior.

10. AVOIDING A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
Single-blind experiment- is an experiment in which the participants are unaware of which participants received the treatment
Double-blind experiment- is an experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which participants received which treatment
By conducting this type of experiment the researcher can remain unbiased.

11. THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT
Stanley Milgram wanted to determine whether participants would administer painful shocks to others because an authority figure instructed them to do so
He gathered 1000 participants
The volunteers were paired with learners
The volunteer would shock the learner when the learner made a mistake
Milgram Experiment Video

12. THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT
The volunteers were told that with each mistake, the electrical shock would become stronger
The volunteers did not realize the shocks were fake
65% of the volunteers pushed the shock button until it reached maximum severity
Proved that ordinary individuals could easily inflict pain if orders were given by a respected authority

13. THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT
Was an excellent example of a single-blind experiment
Swarthmore College conducted the same study
88% of undergraduates administered the highest level of shock
Updated

14. THE PLACEBO EFFECT
Is a change in a participant’s illness or behavior that results from a belief that the treatment will have an effect rather than from the actual treatment
Psychiatric patients in two study groups were given a drug, after a six-week period the groups were evaluated

15. THE PLACEBO EFFECT 53% to 80% reported they benefited from the drugs
The drugs administered were placebos
The people reacted to their own expectations of how the drug given would affect them.
Neither the researchers or the patients new they were placebos until after the experiment

16. SOURCE:
Kasschau, Richard, A. Understanding Psychology. McGraw-Hill, Glencoe, New York, New York, 2008.