Scientific Methods in Psychology

PSYC 108
Exam 1
Study Guide
How do I use this study guide?
1. Provide a definition
2. Get examples
3. Apply it to a situation
Herearetheterms:
1. IntuitionMostofuseitherknoworhaveheardaboutamarriedcouplewho,afteryears
oftryingtoconceive,adoptachild.Then,withinaveryshortperiodoftime,theyfind
thatthewomanispregnant.Thisobservationleadstoacommonbeliefthatadoption
increasesthelikelihoodofpregnancyamongcoupleswhoarehavingdifficulties
conceivingachild.Suchaconclusionseemsintuitivelyreasonable,andpeopleusually
haveanexplanationforthiseffectforexample,theadoptionreducesamajorsourceof
maritalstress,andthestressreductioninturnincreasesthechancesofconception(see
Gilovich,1991).
2. PeerreviewScientificevidenceispeerreviewed.Beforeastudyispublishedinatop
qualityscientificjournal,otherscientistswhohavetheexpertisetocarefullyevaluatethe
researchreviewit.Thisprocessiscalledpeerreview.Theroleofthesereviewersisto
recommendwhethertheresearchshouldbepublished.Thisreviewprocessensuresthat
researchwithmajorflawswillnotbecomepartofthescientificliterature.
3. GoalsofscientificresearchScientificresearchonbehaviorhasfourgeneralgoals:(1)to
describebehavior,(2)topredictbehavior,(3)todeterminethecausesofbehavior,and
(4)tounderstandorexplainbehavior.
4. BasicresearchBasicresearchtriestoanswerfundamentalquestionsaboutthenatureof
behavior.Studiesareoftendesignedtoaddresstheoreticalissuesconcerningphenomena
suchascognition,emotion,motivation,learning,neuropsychology,personality
development,andsocialbehavior.
5. AppliedresearchIncontrast,appliedresearchisconductedtoaddressissuesinwhich
therearepracticalproblemsandpotentialsolutions.
6. HypothesisAhypothesisisatypeofideaorquestion;itmakesastatementabout
somethingthatmaybetrue.Thus,ahypothesisisatentativeideaorquestionthatis
waitingforevidencetosupportorrefuteit.Oncethehypothesisisproposed,datamustbe
gatheredandevaluatedintermsofwhethertheevidenceisconsistentorinconsistentwith
thehypothesis.Sometimes,hypothesesarestatedasinformalresearchquestions.
7. TheoryAtheoryconsistsofasystematicbodyofideasaboutaparticulartopicor
phenomenon.Psychologistshavetheoriesrelatingtohumanbehaviorincludinglearning,
memory,andpersonality,forexample.Theseideasformacoherentandlogically
consistentstructurethatservestwoimportantfunctions.

8. AdvantagesofusingpastresearchAfourthsourceofideasispastresearch.Becoming
familiarwithabodyofresearchonatopicisperhapsthebestwaytogenerateideasfor
newresearch.Becausetheresultsofresearcharepublished,researcherscanusethebody
ofpastliteratureonatopictocontinuallyrefineandexpandourknowledge.Virtually
everystudyraisesquestionsthatcanbeaddressedinsubsequentresearch.Theresearch
mayleadtoanattempttoapplythefindingsinadifferentsetting,tostudythetopicwith
adifferentagegroup,ortouseadifferentmethodologytoreplicatetheresults.
9. Sectionsofaresearcharticlee.g.,abstract,introduction,methodetc.
AbstractSummaryoftheresearchreportandtypicallyrunsnomorethan120wordsin
length.Itincludesinformationaboutthehypothesis,theprocedure,andthebroadpattern
ofresults.Generally,littleinformationisabstractedfromthediscussionsectionofthe
paper.
Introductiontheresearcheroutlinestheproblemthathasbeeninvestigated.Past
researchandtheoriesrelevanttotheproblemaredescribedindetail.Thespecific
expectationsoftheresearcherarenoted,oftenasformalhypotheses.Inotherwords,the
investigatorintroducestheresearchinalogicalformatthatshowshowpastresearchand
theoryareconnectedtothecurrentresearchproblemandtheexpectedresults.
Methoddividedintosubsections,withthenumberofsubsectionsdeterminedbythe
authoranddependentonthecomplexityoftheresearchdesign.Sometimes,thefirst
subsectionpresentsanoverviewofthedesigntopreparethereaderforthematerialthat
follows.Thenextsubsectiondescribesthecharacteristicsoftheparticipants.Werethey
maleorfemale,orwerebothsexesused?Whatwastheaverageage?Howmany
participantswereincluded?Ifthestudyusedhumanparticipants,somementionofhow
participantswererecruitedforthestudywouldbeneeded.Thenextsubsectiondetailsthe
procedureusedinthestudy.Indescribinganystimulusmaterialspresentedtothe
participants,thewaythebehavioroftheparticipantswasrecorded,andsoon,itis
importantthatnopotentiallycrucialdetailbeomitted.Suchdetailallowsthereaderto
knowexactlyhowthestudywasconducted,anditprovidesotherresearcherswiththe
informationnecessarytoreplicatethestudy.Othersubsectionsmaybenecessaryto
describeindetailanyequipmentortestingmaterialsthatwereused.
Resultstheresearcherpresentsthefindings,usuallyinthreeways.First,thereisa
descriptioninnarrativeformforexample,Thelocationofitemswasmostlikelytobe
forgottenwhenthelocationwasbothhighlymemorableandanunusualplacefortheitem
tobestored.Second,theresultsaredescribedinstatisticallanguage.Third,thematerial
isoftendepictedintablesandgraphs.
10. StanleyMilgrimsstudyconductedaseriesofexperiments(1963,1964,1965)tostudy
thephenomenonofobediencetoanauthorityfigure.Heexaminedjustificationsforacts
ofgenocideofferedbythoseaccusedattheWorldWarII,NurembergWarCriminal
trials.Theirdefenseoftenwasbasedon"obedience"thattheywerejustfollowing
ordersfromtheirsuperiors.
11. BeneficenceTheprincipleofbeneficenceintheBelmontReportreferstotheneedfor
researchtomaximizebenefitsandminimizeanypossibleharmfuleffectsofparticipation.
Inmostdecisionswemakeinlife,weconsidertherelativerisks(orcosts)andbenefitsof
thedecision.

12. InstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB)localreviewagencycomposedofatleastfive
individuals;atleastonememberoftheIRBmustbefromoutsidetheinstitution.Every
collegeanduniversityintheUnitedStatesthatreceivesfederalfundinghasanIRB.
13. AutonomyTheBelmontReportsprincipleofrespectforpersonsorautonomystates
thatparticipantsaretreatedasautonomous;theyarecapableofmakingdeliberate
decisionsaboutwhethertoparticipateinresearch.
14. Informedconsentpotentialparticipantsinaresearchprojectshouldbeprovidedwithall
informationthatmightinfluencetheirdecisionofwhethertoparticipate.
15. AssentWhenminorsareaskedtoparticipate,forexample,awrittenconsentform
signedbyaparentorguardianisgenerallyrequiredinadditiontoagreementbytheminor
16. Justificationforusingdeception
17. Debriefing
18. Animalresearch
19. Justice
20. Variables
21. Participantvariables
22. Operationaldefinition
23. Positivelinearrelationship
24. Negativelinearrelationship
25. Differencesbetweenexperimentalandnonexperimentalresearchmethods
26. Confoundingvariables
27. Independentvariable
28. Dependentvariable
29. Expostfactodesign
30. Necessarycauseandsufficientcause
31. Externalvalidity