1. Rules of Psychological Experimentation: What You Need to Know

2. Psychology: The scientific study of mental processes and behavior.

3. Research vs. Applied Psychology  Research Psychologists: study the origin, cause, or results of certain behaviors  Applied Psychologists: make direct use of the findings of research psychologists

4. Different Forms of Analysis (Pages 17-18)  Biopsychological Analysis  Behavioral Analysis  Psychoanalytic Analysis  Humanistic Analysis  Cognitive Analysis  Sociocultural Analysis

5. Biopsychological Analysis  Use of biology, neurology, and the physical changes that result when a behavioral change occurs

6. Behavioral Analysis  Past experiences have trained you for current behavior

7. Psychoanalytic Analysis  The focus is on desire and needs and when there is a conflict, it causes a problems in the unconscious (Freud)

8. Humanistic Analysis  Your inner workings remain intact, but you change behavior for a time based on outside influences, conflicts, or distractions.

9. Cognitive Analysis  The focus is on thinking skills not previous learning or unconscious impulses. Mind over Matter!

10. Sociocultural Analysis  The focus is on cultural influences over human behavior.

11. Basic Procedures  Hypothesis  Subjects  Variables: Independent vs. Dependent  Experimental Group  Control Group  Double-Blind Study: Placebo  Results

12. Consider these Terms in an Experiment  Will taking a sleeping pill before bed help insomniacs sleep?

13. Hypothesis  A statement of the results that the experimenter expects.  X amount of pills helps an otherwise healthy person overcome their insomnia

14. Subjects  People or animals on whom a study is conducted.  Two groups of people with similar health, age-range, and sleeping problems.

15. Variables  Factors that change in an experiment.  Look at Independent and Dependent

16. Independent Variable  The factor that the experimenter manipulates or changes in a study.  Experimenter “regulates” the pills giving one group genuine sleeping pills and the other group a placebo.

17. Dependent Variable  The factor in a study that changes or varies as a result of the changes in the independent variable.  The results vary between better sleep, worse sleep, and same sleep.

18. Control  This is the removal of factors other than the independent variable that might cause the results.  The experimenter will not use people who are sick, have allergies, are very old, or have other factors that could alter the real effects of the medicine in an average person.

19. Experimental Group  The group on which the critical part of the experiment is performed.  This is the group of subjects who get the real sleeping pills.

20. Control Group  The group that does not participate in the critical part of the experiment.  This is the group of subjects who get the placebo pills.

21. Results  The answer as to whether the hypothesis was proven correct.  Hypothesis is incorrect. After a number of days, insomnia returned and was worse than original problem.  Reason, tranquilizers interfere with dreams which are curative, and result in people feeling worse.

22. Different Methods for Studying Behavior  Survey Method  Naturalistic Observation  Interviews  Case Study Method  Psychological Tests  Longitudinal vs. Cross-Sectional Studies

23. Survey Method  A method of research that involves asking questions about their feelings, opinions, or behavior patterns from a specifically selected group.  Questionnaire, telephone, internet  Sample: a group that represents a larger group.  Representative Sample: a group that truly reflects a selected characteristic of a larger population

24. Naturalistic Observation  A research method that involves studying subjects without their being aware that they are being watched.  The result is more accurate data being observed and used.

25. Interviews  A research method that involves studying people face to face and asking questions.  Problem: Fact vs. Fiction  Subject will be on best behavior, ex. Healthy Eaters but population is obese

26. Case Study Methods  The collection of as much info. as possible about a person’s background to understand evolution from early years to current problems.  Helps in understanding how a person approaches problems.  CANNOT generalize from a case study.

27. Psychological Test  Objective methods for observation and measurement that attempts to remove bias  Examples: IQ, personality, job aptitude  These are good, but often observation in the work place or social setting gives more accurate results

28. Longitudinal Studies  Studying the same group of people over and extended period of time.

29. Cross-Sectional Studies  Research that looks at different age- groups at same time to determine changes that occur during the life span

30. Ethics  American Psychological Association (APA)

31. 1. Subjects must have right to decline pariticpation or withdraw from an exoeriment at anytime

32. 2. Openness and honesty are essential (if cannot disclose at start of experiment, must do so at end)

33. 3. Information obtained about a subject during experimentation MUST remain confidential.

34. 4. Experimenter has the responsibility to assess carefully the possibility of any potenetial risks, physical or mental, to participants; inform them of existing risks, and correct or remove any undesirable consequences of participation.

35. Reports

36. Properly Reporting Findings  Abstract  Introduction  Hypothesis  Method  Results  Discussion (limitations, etc.)  Conclusions  References

37.  DJE– What type of ethical considerations do you think need to be observed during an experiment?