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CHAPTER 3 Research in Psychology: Methods and Design

CHAPTER 3 Research in Psychology: Methods and Design. Chapter Objectives . Describe the defining features of a theory in psychology

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CHAPTER 3 Research in Psychology: Methods and Design

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  1. CHAPTER 3Research in Psychology: Methods and Design

  2. Chapter Objectives • Describe the defining features of a theory in psychology • Describe how theories: (a) lead to empirical research, (b) are influenced by the outcomes of research, and (c) need to be productive, parsimonious, and testable • Understand the importance of the “What’s next?” question and the value of research that simultaneously replicates and extends prior research

  3. Chapter Objectives • Show how creative thinking occurs in science • Use computerized databases (e.g., PsycINFO) to search for information about research in psychology • Read and understand elements of an empirical journal article

  4. Varieties of Psychological Research Basic vs. Applied Research Basic designed to describe and understand fundamental psychological phenomena. Examples: neural correlates of cognition, behavior, mechanisms of selective attention (dichotic listening) • Applied • designed to shed light on the solution to real-world • problems. Example: effect of cell phone use on driving Surveillance video***

  5. Varieties of Psychological Research Laboratory • greater control • minimal mundane realism Field • more realistic • maximum mundane realism • Experimental realism – the extent to which the study has • an impact on the subjects, forces them to take the matter • seriously, and involves them in the procedures. • Mundane realism- how closely a study mirrors real life • experiences (Milgram)

  6. Varieties of Psychological Research • Quantitative • Includes quantitative data and statistical analysis • Qualitative • Includes narrative descriptions, content analyses, interviews • Much research includes elements of both • Depression, anxiety studies

  7. Developing Research Ideas: Asking Empirical Questions • Empirical questions • Answerable with data • Terms precisely defined • Operational definitions • variables defined in terms of a clearly specified set of operations • Hunger : 12 hours without food • Aggression: car honks, delivering shocks, # of fights on playground • Especially important for animal research • Important for replication • Converging operations • Understanding increases as studies with different operational definitions “converge” on the same result

  8. Where to Research Ideas Come From? • Our own observations Kitty Genovese (1964) Bystander effect • Sometimes from serendipitous events (discovering something while looking for something else) • Hubel and Wiesel (1959, 1962): “edge detectors”

  9. Developing Research from Theory • The nature of theory • Summarizes, organizes, explains, provides basis for predictions regarding a particular phenomenon • Includes constructs  hypothetical factors not observed directly; involved in the attempt at explanation • e.g., cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957) • The relationship between theory and data • Hypotheses deduced from theory; reasoning from general statements to make predictions (hypotheses) • Outcomes/data provide or fail to provide inductive support for theory • theories are never “true” nor “false”; more like “working truths” or “true until proven false”

  10. An example of logical reasoning… If a bird is a crow, then it will be black. Here is a yellow bird. Here’s a black bird. Then it is not a crow. Then it must be a crow. If task-set reconfiguration (TSR) theory is true, RT (repeat) < RT (switch) RT (repeat) was indeed < RT (switch) RT (repeat) was not < RT (switch) TSR theory is true. TSR theory is not true.

  11. Developing Research from Theory • Attributes of good theories • Productivity • good theories produce much research and advance our knowledge • e.g., cognitive dissonance theory • Falsification • good theories can be shown to be wrong (fail to be supported by the data) • Although researchers want to be right, still attempt to falsify their own work. • Parsimony • good theories are concise and provide a simple explanation for results • Clever Hans • Simpler (more “parsimonious”) explanation (visual cues)

  12. Developing Research from Theory • Misunderstandings about theories • “It’s not a fact; it’s only a theory.” • “It’s just a theory; there’s no proof.” • “Here’s my theory about that.”

  13. Developing Research from Other Research • Research teams and the “What’s Next?” Question • Programs of research • Series of interrelated studies • Research teams and the apprentice model • Use of pilot studies • Replication and extension • Exact replication rare • The norm in Pavlov’s lab, to train new workers • Extension  partial replication, with new features added to extend the findings

  14. Reviewing the Literature • Computerized database searches • In psychology PsycINFO/ Google Scholar • Search tips • Using truncated search terms to avoid being too narrow • Search results • Take note of source (e.g., journal article, book, dissertation) • Read Abstracts provided when you click on the title

  15. Sections of a Scientific Paper • Cover Page • Abstract • Introduction • Methods • Results • Discussion • References • Tables & Figures

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