Research in Psychology

1. Research in Psychology A.P. Psychology Ch. 2

2. Practice Question #4 1. Which of the following most accurately describes a dependent variable? a. Some characteristic of research participants that is constant, such as gender b. Some aspect of a participant’s response that is measured in an experiment c. A factor that can be used to predict how people in an experiment will respond d. A factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in order to observe its effects on some other factor e. A factor that is equated for the experimental and the control group

3. How Do We Know What We Know? How do you know that George Washington was the first president of the United States?

4. How do we know what we know? How do you know that you really have a stomach?

5. How do we know what we know? What makes you so sure the sun will rise tomorrow?

6. How do we know what we know? How do you know the color of the shirt I’m wearing? Are you sure you don’t have a big hole in the back of your pants or shorts?

7. How do we know? Authority: historians, scientists Reason: deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning All humans have stomachs; I am human; therefore, I have a stomach The sun rose today, yesterday, and for as long as anyone can remember Observation: what you can see

8. MAN’S First Experiment If you could take a guess when (year) did the first documented psychological experiment take place?

9. First Psychological Experiment in History King Psamtik I of Egypt, in the latter half of the 7th Century B.C. believed the Egyptians were the most ancient race. In order to prove that he took two infants and isolated them with a herdsman. They were not allowed to hear spoken language. Psamtik believed that if children had no opportunity to learn a language from older people around them, they would spontaneously speak the primal, inborn language of humankind, which he expected to be Egyptian. The experiment worked, in that the first word/noise they uttered was becos. This was the Phrygian word for bread, hence he was disappointed to know the Phrygians were the older race. Today we know that under conditions of isolation there is no innate language and that children who hear no speech, never speak. Yet we admire him for trying to prove his hypothesis and having the notion that thoughts arise in the mind through internal processes that can be investigated.

10. Music Experiment

11. Sum it up to..

12. Scientific Method • Ask a question, Hunch, Theory • Form a Hypothesis (educated guess) • Conduct an experiment • Analyze the data • Create conclusions

14. Theory • Set of ideas which try to explain what we observe • Goal is to find support OR disprove • We can never prove!! • How the world started (we might get close) • Empirical • Knowledge based on direct observation

15. What are your theories? • Write down at least 3 different theories or hunches you have about human behavior or human life • Ideas (get juices flowing) • Sleep • Drugs • Environment • gender • relationships

16. The Process of Doing Research • Next, formulate a hypothesis • Hypothesis: specific statement of what you expect to happen (educated guess) • State the relationship between two variables • Risky prediction: falsifiability • Example: exposure to TV violence causes aggression

17. What are the variables? • Variable: in an experiment, any factor that is measured or controlled and is capable of change • Example: Exposure to TV violence causes aggression • Variable: TV violence • Variable: Aggression

18. Let’s take a closer look . . .at variables Independent variable(predictor variable) The factor being manipulated or changed The variable whose effect is being studied TV Violence Dependent variable(outcome variable) The variable that may change in response to changes of the independent variable The factor that is being measured Aggression

20. Dependent Variable DEPENDS ON Independent variable

21. Music Experiment • What is the independent variable in our experiment? (change or be manipulated) • What is the dependent variable in our experiment? (response or outcome)

22. Practice Question #4 1. Which of the following most accurately describes a dependent variable? a. Some characteristic of research participants that is constant, such as gender b. Some aspect of a participant’s response that is measured in an experiment c. A factor that can be used to predict how people in an experiment will respond d. A factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in order to observe its effects on some other factor e. A factor that is equated for the experimental and the control group

23. Practice Question #4 1. Which of the following most accurately describes a dependent variable? a. Some characteristic of research participants that is constant, such as gender b. Some aspect of a participant’s response that is measured in an experiment c. A factor that can be used to predict how people in an experiment will respond d. A factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in order to observe its effects on some other factor e. A factor that is equated for the experimental and the control group

24. Practice Question #6 1. Synesthesia is a phenomenon that has been estimated to occur in only a few people in a million. Because of its rarity, researchers are likely to choose which research method to study it? a. Naturalistic observation b. Correlational research c. Survey research d. Case study e. Experimental research

25. Due Date & Test Changes Vocabulary & Context due Sept. 11 (instead of Sept. 9th) Ch. Test is Sept. 18th instead of 16th

26. Turn your Theories into Hypothesis • Pick one of your Theories to Turn into A Hypothesis that has expresses a relationship between two variables. • Write down your hypothesis • You will be conducting your own experiment in the future so this is a good way to get started 

27. The Process of Doing Research • Then pick your research method • Case Studies, Correlational, Naturalistic Observation, & Experimental (Design) • collect & analyze your data

28. Case Study Technique: one person or small group is studied in depth to reveal underlying behavioral principles. (up to 5 people) • PROS: Provide detailed descriptive analyses of new, complex, or rare phenomena/disorders • CONS: may not provide representative picture of phenomena, info often missing, can be hard to interpret, biases & (not able to generalize to larger population) Sigmund Freud used this technique! 28

29. Case Study • Most commonly used by clinicians • Sources of knowledge & insight • Phenomenon's are rare researchers are likely to turn to choose case studies • ethics prevent them from information other ways • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXeJ6qnsdD4 Genie, the young girl who was locked up in her room since age 1 ½.

30. Correlational Method • a researcher examines relationships among variables that are NOT manipulated by the researcher • Positive or negative correlations • Track trends & patterns • Types of Correlational Methods • Surveys • For example: researchers may study developmental changes, compare males and females, or look at the impact of disasters on the incidence of depression.

34. Positive correlation • High values of one variable are associated w/ high values of another • Low values of one variable are associated with low values of the other. • The presence of one thing predicts the presence of another

37. Negative Correlation • High values of one variable are associated with low values of the other • the presence of one thing predicts the absence of another • If no relationship exists then they are uncorrelated

40. Survey 1-10 • You are going to take a Survey. List your paper 1-15 (ready) • 1 Would you rather... • Have a diet to heavy on grease • A diet too heavy on sugar • 2 Would you rather... • Be trapped in a cave full of vampire bats • Put a large jar full of bees (opened) in your pants • 3 Would you rather... • Have your house hit once every 6 months with graffiti vandals. • Have your house hit once every two weeks with toilet paper vandals. • 4 Would you rather... • Have Xray vision • Have the power to read minds • 5 Would you rather... • Wear the same pair of unwashed socks for 2 years • Wear the same pair of unwashed underwear for 1 year

41. Survey • 6Would you rather... • Have eyebrows that make a complete circle around your eyes • Have flat eyelashes that stick out 12 inches and can't be trimmed • 7Would you rather... • Get on the really good side of Bill Gates • Or your favorite actor/actress • 8 Would you rather... • Do a job interview with your bottom lip 5 times it's size • With a cat face painted on you • 9 Would you rather... • Never show up in photographs • Have no reflection in mirrors? • 10 Would you rather... • (FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF $) Have a job you love and work 60 hours a week • Have a job you hate and work 25 hours a week

42. Theories • What conclusions can you come up with after getting the results of the survey? • What are the good things about survey’s? • What are bad things about survey’s?

43. Survey Technique: self-reported attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people done by questioning a random sample of people. PROS: gathers large amounts of descriptive data relatively quickly and inexpensively, can see if a relationship between variables exist CONS: sampling errors, poorly phrased questions, response biases, volunteer bias, lying, assumptions in questions 43

44. Problems with Surveys Wording can change the results of a survey. Q: Should cigarette ads and pornography be allowed on television? (not allowed vs. forbidden) Wording Effects 44

47. Correlational research Advantages Sometimes manipulation of variables is impossible or unethical Efficient – look at lots of data Disadvantages CANNOT DETERMINE CAUSATION Could be a lurking variable that cannot be controlled like in a lab