- When experts state something, people read them as facts and not as hypotheses which they truly areEx: Sigmund Freud (1895), “All male paranoids are repressed homosexuals”  little or no valid data, but made sweeping, confident pronouncement; false- Methodological behaviorism:Careful observation, careful measurement, independent verification, careful inferenceCharacteristics of empirically-based science- “The hidden language of sleep positions” – no science to this; much like Freud’s statement- Empirical: depending on experience or observation; derived from or guided by experience; verifiable by experience or observationChallenge to psychological research and theory:1) Internal Validity- control of bias; behavior of beings is affected by large number of variablesEx: placebo effectEx: cure for autism, autistic kids are supposedly typing meaningful messages, but people are guiding their hands without realizing itOperational definition: an abstract concept is made concrete, observable, measureableEx: distress measured in cries- Randomization principle: when you compare an experimental group and a control group, be sure the two groups don’t differ systematically in any way at the outset except for independent variable value they experienceProblem- people can’t be kept constantMust use random assignment; no characteristic of people being tested systematically biases outcome- Random Sampling: select sample of research participants that lets you generalize observations and measurements from that sample to the populationNot influenced by characteristics of peopleRandom sampling is rare in psychological research; extensive use of samples of convenience (easy to access, meet basic requirements)* WHY NOT JUST COMPARE THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF PEOPLE WHO WATCH A LOT OF MEDIA VIOLENCE WITH THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF THOSE WHO DON'T? (Why create an experiment vs. taking polls)  might be on a test- How is the generality of a phenomenon established?  Independent replication and verification: different investigators, locations, research subjectsMust do various experiments on the same thing to prove something without bias- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (R-DB-PC-CT): attempt to closely follow the fundamental principle of experimentationRandomized: equate groups at the outsetDouble blind: control observer and subject biases; patient and people evaluating don’t know if they get drug or placeboPlacebo controlled: control for the non-specific aspects (pill ingestion, expectation  things that make people think they’re getting better) of the experimental treatment- Placebo will result in improvement, but not as significant as if the drug is working- How do you know that the treatment is the reason for recovery?Ex: Suppose a depressed patient is administered an ECT treatment and seems much improved later. How do you know it was the shock-convulsion that was specifically responsible for the change?There are alternative explanations: ‘spontaneous remission’; effect of drugs administered prior to ECT; patient's expectations; doctor's expectations.Experimental facts: reliable; found effective by a number of investigators; independent replication; necessary conditions for effectiveness have been identifiedPSYC 100 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture I. Empirical questioning II. Why know biology for a psych major? Outline of Current LectureI. Challenges of psychological researchA. Internal validityB. Randomization principleC. How is the generality of a phenomenon proven? D. Experimental facts E. R-DB-PC-CTCurrent Lecture- When experts state something, people read them as facts and not as hypotheses which they truly are- Ex: Sigmund Freud (1895), “All male paranoids are repressed homosexuals”  little or no valid data, but made sweeping, confident pronouncement; false - Methodological behaviorism: - Careful observation, careful measurement, independent verification, careful inference- Characteristics of empirically-based science - “The hidden language of sleep positions” – no science to this; much like Freud’s statement - Empirical: depending on experience or observation; derived from or guided by experience; verifiable by experience or observation Challenge to psychological research and theory: 1) Internal Validity- control of bias; behavior of beings is affected by large number of variables- Ex: placebo effect- Ex: cure for autism, autistic kids are supposedly typing meaningful messages, but people are guiding their hands without realizing it- Operational definition: an abstract concept is made concrete, observable, measureableo Ex: distress measured in cries - Randomization principle: when you compare an experimental group and a control group, be sure the two groups don’t differ systematically in any way at the outset except for independent variable value they experience- Problem- people can’t be kept constant - Must use random assignment; no characteristic of people being tested systematically biases outcome - Random Sampling: select sample of research participants that lets you generalize observations and measurements from that sample to the population- Not influenced by characteristics of people- Random sampling is rare in psychological research; extensive use of samples of convenience (easy to access, meet basic requirements) * WHY NOT JUST COMPARE THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF PEOPLE WHO WATCH A LOT OF MEDIA VIOLENCE WITH THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF THOSE WHO DON'T? (Why create an experiment vs. taking polls)  might be on a test - How is the generality of a phenomenon established?  Independent replication and verification: different investigators, locations, research subjects- Must do various experiments on the same thing to prove something without bias - Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (R-DB-PC-CT): attempt to closely follow the fundamental principle of experimentation - Randomized: equate groups at the outset- Double blind: control observer and subject biases; patient and people evaluating don’t know if they get drug or placebo - Placebo controlled: control for the non-specific aspects (pill ingestion, expectation  things that make people think they’re getting better) of the experimental treatment - Placebo will result in improvement, but not as significant as if the drug is working - How do you know that the treatment