PPE 3003 1st Edition Lecture 4 Outline of Last Lecture I. Types of Research MethodsII. Correlational ResearchIII. Experimental MethodIV. Case StudyV. Interpreting ResultsOutline of Current Lecture I. ValidityII. ReliabilityIII. A scale can be reliable but not validIV. GeneralizabilityV. TheoriesVI. HypothesesCurrent LectureA. Validitya. A test is valid if it measure what it claims to measureb. This is a bigger problem then you might imaginei. Ex: Rate on a scale of very untrue of me to very true of me, “I have never said anything mean about another person.”1. Testing honestyc. Bias is an issued. Types i. Face validity1. Items are relevant 2. Ex: Family dog gets hit by a car and dies. The family cooks the dog and eats it. Is this okay?a. More conservatives would think it’s absolutely wrongb. More liberals would kind of think it’s wrongii. Predictive/criterion validity1. Can predict behavior from score2. Ex: if two people in a relationship test high on trust, then it should predict that they will be in a relationship for a long timeiii. Convergent validity1. Scores on related scales are similara. Ex: A depression scale that correlates with previously established depression scales or pessimism scalesB. Reliabilitya. Degree to which measure actually represents the “true” level of the traitb. Typesi. Test-retest reliability1. Participant’s take same test more than one timeii. Internal consistency1. Participant’s respond in similar ways to related items2. Relatively stable results over timeC. A scale can be reliable but not validD. Generalizabilitya. A measure is generalizable if the scale measures what it is supposed to across various circumstancesb. Only if it is reliable and validc. Some measures are not meant to be completely generalizablei. Resiliency1. When faced with adversity, the ability to power through and how you react and deal with it E. Theoriesa. Explains existing patterns and predicts new onesi. Ex: evolution1. Can explain genetic diversity2. Can predict the futurea. Experimental psychologyb. Good theories arei. Economical 1. Occam’s razora. Simplest explanation is usually the best oneii. Falsifiable c. We do not prove hypothesis; we disprove themi. Claim: all swans are white (false)F. Hypothesesa. Testable ideas about the possible nature of realityb. If, then statementsc. Good hypotheses are based on a theoryi. Ex: attractive people tend to be more financially successful than unattractive peopleii. Ex: Men tend to be more violent than
View Full Document