Overview of Experimental & Descriptive Techniques in Psychology Research - Prof. Etta J. L, Study notes of Psychology

Download Overview of Experimental & Descriptive Techniques in Psychology Research - Prof. Etta J. L and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! 9/11/2007 1 Chapter 2: The Research Enterprise in Psychology The Scientific Approach: A Search for Laws • Basic assumption: events are governed by some lawful order • Goals: – Measurement and description – Understanding and prediction – Application and control Figure 2.1 Theory construction Figure 2.2 Flowchart of steps in a scientific investigation The Scientific Method: Terminology • Operational definitions are used to clarify precisely what is meant by each variable • Participants or subjects are the organisms whose behavior is systematically observed in a study • Data collection techniques allow for empirical observation and measurement • Statistics are used to analyze data and decide whether hypotheses were supported The Scientific Method: Terminology • Findings are shared through reports at scientific meetings and in scientific journals – periodicals that publish technical and scholarly material – Advantages of the scientific method: clarity of communication and relative intolerance fo error • Research methods: general strategies for conducting scientific studies 9/11/2007 2 Table 2.1 Key Data Collection Techniques in Psychology Experimental Research: Looking for Causes • Experiment = manipulation of one variable under controlled conditions so that resulting changes in another variable can be observed – Detection of cause-and-effect relationships I d d t i bl (IV) i bl• n epen en var a e = var a e manipulated • Dependent variable (DV) = variable affected by manipulation – How does X affect Y? – X = Independent Variable, and Y = Dependent Variable Experimental and Control Groups: The Logic of the Scientific Method • Experimental group • Control group – Random assignment Manipulate independent variable for one– group only – Resulting differences in the two groups must be due to the independent variable • Extraneous and confounding variables Figure 2.5 The basic elements of an experiment Experimental Designs: Variations • Expose a single group to two different conditions – Reduces extraneous variables • Manipulate more than one independent variable All f d f i i b- ows or stu y o nteract ons etween variables • Use more than one dependent variable - Obtains a more complete picture of effect of the independent variable Figure 2.6 Manipulation of two independent variables in an experiment