1. Research Methods in Psychology Group Activity Friday August 5, 2011

2. Design Some Research 1.The What: Choose an area of psychology & social science that interests you (rating attractiveness among teens, intelligence level vs. sleep, musical taste and behavior, customer treatment based on clothing style 2.The Who: Develop your target group for study—teens, young adults, males, females, parents, senior citizens, 3.The Why: rationale and reason for studying, also what psychological perspective or theory you might be using (see chapter 1) 4.The When: will this project take place. Also include how long with the research take. 5.The How: Develop a hypothesis, design a research method, collect and analyze data. 6.The Results: Report your findings (where would you publish or show) 7.The Replication: how many times will you need to replicate this research to be able to make accurate predictions,

3. The Experiment Only research method capable of showing cause and effect

4. Experimental Method 1.Review Literature of Past Research 2.Formulate Hypothesis 3.Design Research/Study Method (naturalistic observation, case studies, surveys, experiments, etc) 4.Collect/Analyze the Data 5.Report the Findings (journal, critique, replicate) 6.Draw Conclusion or Theory on Explanation of Findings

5. Hypothesis A statement about the relationship between two or more variables Must be testable and refutable Instead of proving the hypothesis, science usually tries to disprove a null hypothesis. Null Hypothesis (H 0 ): opposite of hypothesis Statistical Significance : 95% not due to chance Hypothesis Example: H 1 : Gender has an effect on perceived intelligence H 0 : Gender does not have an effect on perceived intelligence

6. Variables 1.Independent Variable (I.V.): manipulated by experimenter 2. Dependent Variable (D.V.): MEASURED variable influenced by independent 3. Operational definition 4. Confounding/extraneous variables

7. Control Group Receives no treatment or placebo Serves as a basis for comparison Serves to eliminate alternative explanations

8. Population – The larger group of people from which a sample is drawn Sample: Representative of the population Random: Every member of the pop has = chance Stratified: Sample is put together by picking a group statistically equal to the population

9. Control Measures Single-Blind: subject unaware of assignment Double-Blind: subject and experimenter unaware of placement Randomization –From population (sample) –From assignment to groups (assignment)

10. Statistical Significance Probability results are due to chance Inferential stats are used to check for either a 5% or 1% level of significance. Lottery tickets 14, 3, 27, 41, 18 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Coin flips HHHHHHH or HHTHTHT More likely?

11. Correlation A statistical value of the relationship between two variables Positive Correlation As one number increases, the other increases. Ex: Study time to GPA Negative Correlation As one number increases, the other decreases. Ex: Absences to GPA No Correlation Variables do not affect one another in a significant way Ex: Height to GPA

12. CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION!!! People that floss everyday live 3 years longer than those that do not. Red wine drinkers live longer than those that do not drink red wine. As speed limits increased on America’s highways, the death rate went down. Children who are played Mozart in the womb have higher IQ’s. Marijuana users in youth are more likely to have mental illness as adults. As Swim suit sales increased, so did shark attacks.

13. Other Research Methods Ex Post Facto (after the fact) - Independent variable already present - Not a true independent variable, no cause and effect - Often used due to ethical concerns Naturalistic Observation - Natural setting: behavior is not interfered with or altered Survey Method - Gathers data on attitudes and behaviors. Case Study - Intense study of an individual

14. Flaws in Research 1.Sampling Bias 2.Overgeneralization 3.Placebo effect 4.Hawthorne/Barnum effect 5.Demand Characteristics 6.Experimenter Bias

15. Ethics in Research Participants are free to withdraw at any time No undo stress Subjects informed of significant factors that may influence their willingness to participate Subjects should be debriefed Ethical treatment of animals Generally research goes before a review board for approval

16. Evaluating Research What are the STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES of: Experiment Correlation Surveys Naturalistic Observation Case Studies