1. Session 4: Intro to Psychology Research Methods

2. Measurement The first step in research is to formulate the question…the next step is to measure them. Types of Measurement: – Self Report measures: verbal answers, either written or spoken to questions posed by researchers. – Behavioral measures: techniques used to study overt observable and recordable actions. Want to see how students interact and form close relationships, where would you go? – Physiological measures: collect data based on subjects’ biological responses to stimuli. EEG’s, blood-pressure, etc.

3. Research Design Once the existence of a relationship has been discovered and confirmed, the next question will likely focus on which variable is influencing the causal relationship between the variables. Experimental design is what is used to specify the researchers purpose. Correlation Methods: are used to determine the extent to which two variables, traits, or attributes are related. To determine a correlation, a psychologist will collect two sets of scores, one for each variable and use these numbers to calculate a single statistic, called a correlation coefficient.

4. Formula for Correlation Coefficient Symbolized by the letter “r”, summarize the size (ranging 0-1) and the direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between two variables. If the two variables are completely related each accounts for 100% of what happens to the other and their correlation coefficient is 1.00. If they have no relationship at all the correlation coefficient is 0. If they relate in a positive correlation…(+1.00), if they relate in a negative correlation…(-1.00)

5. Correlation Examples Age and height of a child = Positive Correlation (+1.00) Study time and anxiety= Negative Correlation (-1.00) Eating ice cream and weight loss = No Correlation (0) Activity: Create an example of all three

6. Experimentation If correlation does not present itself naturally, then researchers must use experimentation to find out if one variable is effecting another. Scientists use the formula of X (independent variable) and Y (dependent variable) shown as this… X Y…meaning X causes Y. In a controlled experiment, observations of specific behavior are made under systematically varied conditions, in which subjects have randomly assigned experiments and control (non-treatment) conditions.

7. The Process of a Controlled Experiment 1. selection of subjects who will participate in research and whose behavior will be recorded. 2. The Experimenter designs two or more different ways different ways of treating these subjects…ex. Some receive a drug/others a placebo. – These treatments make up the experimental condition…those receiving no treatment or the placebo are called the control condition. 3. Once the volunteers have been selected they must go through randomization (a process of assigning subjects in such a way that each subject has an equal chance of ending up in any of the conditions, experiment or control.) – Randomization helps eliminate bias in an experiment.