Psych 101 - Introduction to Psychology - Lecture 2

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 Psychologists employ different research methods depending on the subject matter. Common research methods include:  Observation  Case studies  Self-report measures and surveys  Correlational studies  Experimental studies www.whatispsychology.biz

 Psychologists frequently observe behaviour and events as they occur in their natural settings. Scientific observation is made in a systematic and objective manner, with careful record keeping. The primary goal of observational methods is to describe behaviour as fully and as accurately as possible. www.whatispsychology.biz

 In order to observe behaviour in the real world, psychologists may employ one of two methods: 1) Naturalistic observation (observation without intervention)  Involves observing behaviour in normal, everyday settings in an unobtrusive manner  The observer acts as a passive recorder of events and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible  E.g. Observing the activities of children on a playground from a distance. www.whatispsychology.biz

 2)Participant observation (observation with intervention)  Psychologists using this method observe people’s behaviour while actively participating in the situation they are observing.  E.g. joining a cult or sorority to observe the daily activities of its members. www.whatispsychology.biz

 Inparticipant observation, the observer may be:  disguised - participants are not aware that they are being observed; or  undisguised – participants know that they are being studied www.whatispsychology.biz

A case study is a research design in which one person or a small number of people are studied in depth, usually over an extended period of time. Case studies are ideal for studying rare phenomena and may be a useful tool when studying new research topics. These studies often involve collecting evidence from a wide variety of sources such as observations, interviews, documents and artifacts. www.whatispsychology.biz

 A questionnaire is a structured pencil-and-paper interview, consisting of standardized written questions. Questionnaires are also called self-report measures. They are easy to administer and can be used to collect data from a large group of people fairly quickly. On the other hand, respondents may not answer questions truthfully: they may provide socially desirable responses and minimize negative attitudes and traits. www.whatispsychology.biz

 The questionnaire is the primary research instrument used in surveys. Surveys involve the administration of a questionnaire to a large sample of people who are representative of the wider population being studied. They are often used in the study of public opinion, and to assess knowledge, beliefs and attitudes. www.whatispsychology.biz

 In correlational studies, researchers examine the extent to which two variables are associated. Correlation is a mathematical way of determining the relationship between two sets of scores. Correlations can be positive, negative or zero. A positive correlation means that as the value of one variable changes, the other also changes in the same direction.  E.g. As level of education increases, income also increases (or vice versa) www.whatispsychology.biz

A negative correlation means that as the value of one variable changes, the other changes in the opposite direction.  E.g. As self-esteem increases, social anxiety decreases.A correlation of zero means that the variables are not related.  E.g. A person’s weight might tell us nothing about their acting ability. www.whatispsychology.biz

 Correlations reveal the existence and extent of relationships but do not necessarily indicate what causes what.  CORRELATION DOES NOT MEAN CAUSATION The only research design that allows researchers to make statements about cause and effect is the experiment. www.whatispsychology.biz

 An experiment is a careful and controlled study of cause and effect through manipulation of the conditions to which participants are exposed. In a correlational study, researchers simply measure preexisting differences among participants (e.g. weight, aggression) but in an experiment, they manipulate variables to see whether these manipulations produce differences in participants’ behaviour. www.whatispsychology.biz

 An experiment consists of two key components: 1) Random assignment of participants to conditions  Participants are randomly assigned to either the experimental group (which receives the manipulation) or the control group (which does not)  NB: random assignment means that each participant has an equal chance of being selected for either group. www.whatispsychology.biz

 2) Manipulation of an independent variable:  The variable that is manipulated is called the independent variable (IV).  The dependent variable (DV) is the one which the researcher measures to see if the manipulation had an effect. www.whatispsychology.biz

 Example: Researchers want to determine if Drug X is effective in treating anxiety.  IV: the presence vs absence of the drug X  DV: level of anxiety Researchers randomly assign half of the participants to the experimental group, which receives Drug X, and the other half to the control group, which does not receive the drug. After an appropriate length of time, researchers then measure the level of anxiety of participants in both groups to see if the drug caused a difference. www.whatispsychology.biz

 Researchers must ensure that the experimental and control groups are treated equally in all respects, except for the manipulation of the IV. If not, there will be no way of telling if changes in the DV were caused by changes in the IV or some other variable.  E.g. If persons who received Drug X also received regular psychotherapy sessions, changes in their anxiety levels might be due to these sessions and not to the drug. www.whatispsychology.biz

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Psych 101 - Introduction to Psychology - Lecture 2

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