Brainstorm Activity

1. Brainstorm Activity • With your group, come up with 2 things that you are curious about • Ex: I wonder why people watch the Super Bowl. • Write one at the topand one in the middle of the paper • Rotate and brainstorm ways one might study this topic • Write ONE way under each topic

2. Research Methods

3. Methods • Naturalistic Observation • Observing subject in a natural setting without interfering

4. Methods • Case Study • Intensive study of a person or group • Interviews, tests, diaries, etc.

5. Methods • Survey • Obtaining info by asking many people a fixed set of questions • Interviews, questionnaires

6. Methods: Survey

7. Methods • Longitudinal Studies • Data is collected about a group over many years to assess how certain characteristics change or remain the same over time • Cross-Sectional Studies • Data is collected about a group of different ages then compared to draw conclusions on differences due to age *Both are good for examining consistencies and inconsistencies over time

8. Methods: Cross-Sectional Study

9. Goals • Often researchers want to examine the relationship between two sets of observations • Correlation—measure of a relationship between two variables or sets of data • Ex: Grades and hours of sleep • Correlation describes a relationship • CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION • Ex: correlation between sunny days and good mood, but that does not mean that sunny days cause good moods

10. Experimentation • Able to control the situation and decrease outside variables • Research question • Hypothesis • Variables (independent and dependent) • Ex: Grades and hours of sleep • Experiment (with experimental and control groups) • Compare data collected • Interpret and draw conclusions

11. Example of Research

12. Prompt #3 • What things should be considered when developing an experiment? You must have at least four (4).

13. Stanford Prison Experiment Read slide showthrough “First Prisoner Released” then begin skipping Once in “Conclusion” tab, skip to the heading “An End to an Experiment” and read through the end

14. Research Ethics

15. Conclusion • People will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play, especially if the roles are as strongly stereotyped as those of the prison guards. • The “prison” environment was an important factor in creating the guards’ brutal behavior (none of the participants who acted as guards showed sadistic tendencies before the study). Therefore, the roles that people play can shape their behavior and attitudes.

16. Interviews Afterward • Guards—Most of the guards found it difficult to believe that they had behaved in the brutalizing ways that they had. Many said they hadn’t known this side of them existed or that they were capable of such things. • Prisoners—The prisoners, too, couldn’t believe that they had responded in the submissive, cowering, dependent way they had. Several claimed to be assertive types normally. When asked about the guards, they described the usual three stereotypes that can be found in any prison: some guards were good, some were tough but fair, and some were cruel.

17. Research Ethics • What caused the students to behave the way they did during this experiment? • How do the ethical dilemmas in this research compare with those raised by Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments? • Would it be better if these studies [Milgram’s & Stanford’s] had never been done or were they really necessary? • What steps should be taken and what things should be considered in an experiment to be sure it is ethical?

18. Problems in Research • Reliability • Validity • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

19. Problems in Research • Experimenter Bias • Placebo Effect • Hawthorne Effect • Statistical Manipulation

20. Problems in Psych research Examples

21. Prompt #4 Using your current article or a neighbor’s… What are potential problems in the research? Could your topic have been studied with any other methods? If so, what? If not, why not?

22. Examples • A high school hockey team was told there would be college scouts at their next game. They end up outplaying the other team both offensively and defensively and win the game. • HAWTHORNE EFFECT

23. Examples • You expect your new roommate to be shy so you don’t speak much to him after he moves in, and he therefore does seem shy. • SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

24. Examples • A baby has a white mouse introduced to it. The baby is interested and unafraid of the mouse. The introduction of the mouse is then paired with the sound of a metal pipe being loudly and aggressively clanged. The baby becomes fearful of the white mouse and consequently all other white, furry creatures and objects. • UNETHICAL

25. Examples • Astudy is done to look into heart disease across the country. The study uses volunteers within a community of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. • EXPERIMENTER BIAS

26. Examples • Aparticipant has volunteered for a study to determine the effectiveness of a new headache drug. After taking the drug, she finds that her headache quickly dissipates and she feels much better. However, she later learns that she was given a sugar pill. • PLACEBO EFFECT

27. Examples • Employees at a restaurant are asked to fill out a questionnaire during their break period. • EXPERIMENTER BIAS

28. Examples • A soccer coach believes Susan is a better player than Amy. She praises Susan more and spends more time with Susan at practice. At the end of the season, other players noticed that Susan has become a better player than Amy. • SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

29. Examples • Studies have been done on those with psychic abilities. Critics accuse ESP proponents of only publishing experiments with positive results and shelving those that show negative results.  • STATISTICAL MANIPULATION

30. Examples • A business decided to remodel their company building. They installed glass walls to replace all the interior walls separating the individual offices in order to open up the office. As a result, work started to get done quicker and more efficiently. • HAWTHORNE EFFECT

31. Quiz Wednesday Multiple Choice & Short Answer Approaches—influences on behavior Goals of psychology Research methods Problems in research

32. Design Own Research

33. Samples • Sample – the small group of participants, out of the total number available, that a researcher studies • Must be representative of the population being studied • Take a random sampleso each individual has an equal chance of being represented • For example, someone studying high school seniors might select every fifth name on the enrollment list. • Use a stratified sampleby deliberately selecting individuals who represent the various subgroups in the population studied • For example, someone conducting research on high school seniors might select students of both sexes, of varying ages, of all social classes, and from all neighborhoods.

34. Design Own Research When done, turn in and grab review guide.

35. Review Activity • Using your review guide and notes… • Come up with 4 questions and answers • Must be from different categories: Approaches, Goals, Methods, and Problems • GET Q&A CHECKED BY ME, then place in the appropriate area