Exam 2 Guide Research Methods Walter Boot 1 Know the primary sources of research ideas systematic vs unsystematic observation theory and applied problems Unsystematic Observation Observing everyday behavior animal behavior and it s a good way to discover a general research idea Systematic Observation focused observation of real world behavior published research reports your own previous or ongoing research peruse Internet research It can also be used to guide research ideas Theory 1 Test prediction of behavior under new combinations of variables new conditions 2 Test competing predictions about behavior and based on one ore more theories o Your hypothesis can be a specific prediction that logically follows from a scientific theory o Theory Hypothesis o a hypothesis is usually DEDUCED from a Applied problems issues The need to solve theory practical problems o Example Which cell phone results in the most error free performance by older adults 2 What is an operational definition A way to measure It helps with ANSWERABLE questions If we can t measure the thing we are interested in they it is not a good research question They allow us to form testable hypotheses They are necessary to go from theory hypothesis 3 What is the difference between a refereed peer reviewed and non refereed journal Referred Peer reviewed o Reviewers Two or more people with expertise judge the article and comment on it o Editor reads the paper the review and comes up with the decision to accept reject or send for revising Non refereed there is an uncertainity about the quality of the work o Inaccurate o Misleading o Biased 4 In a journal article what information is found in the abstract introduction methods discussion and reference sections Abstract contains a short summary of the entire article including a little background a little about the approach the authors adopted a little about the results and discussion It s like a mini version of the larger article Introduction Introduces the problem Gives background on the topic and sets up the author s hypothesis Reviews previous literature Methods gives a reader all the information they would need to know if they wanted to conduct the same experiment themselves o Who were the participants o What equipment was used o What test were used Discussion what the results mean their implications for theory and how they fit into the larger literature the research was based on Strengths and limitations of the current study and future directions are found here References A complete list of all sources cited 5 What is the difference between a primary and secondary source Primary source includes a full report of a research study including methodological details these are preferred Secondary source summarizes information from a primary source These should be used sparingly 6 What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting research ideas from books journal articles and professional conferences Where do you get the most up to date info Books o Advantages Books may be general textbooks or more specialized professional publications Anthologies assemble papers that an editor feels are important in a field Books are most useful in early stages of literature search o Disadvantages Books that provide summaries are secondary sources Books should be used with caution because they may not undergo rigorous review and information may not be up to date Journal Articles o Advantages provide current research and theoretical thinking papers summited to a refereed journal undergo peer review o Disadvantages Papers that are summited to a non referred journal do NOT under go peer review Professional conferences o Advantages Provide the MOST UP TO DATE INFO Research may be presented in a paper session oral session or poster session advantages Information is a the frontiers of science You can meet others in your field and exchange ides o Disadvantages Conventions are expensive to attend 7 In conducting research we must think about where to conduct research in the lab or in the field Please know the advantages of each of these options and the disadvantages as well Lab Field o Advantage we try to control EVERYTHING and we examine the impact of just one variable the independent variable o Disadvantage findings may not generalize outside of the laboratory Very artificial o Advantage applies to the real world o Disadvantage no way to control what is being manipulated 8 Know about simulations and different types of realism Mundane realism how well does a simulation mimic the real world event from being simulated We want this to look and feel like the real world task Experimental realism how engaging is the simulation for participants We want participants to treat it as real world task as well 9 You should be able to identify experimental and non experimental designs and the limitations of each Experimental manipulate one or more variables what effect does this manipulations have on behavior o the researcher MANIPULATES ONE VARIABLE while holding everything else constant to see if the manipulated variable has an impact on behavior o Non experimental Correlational observe variables is there a relationship o WE ARE JUST MEASURING not MANIPULATING variables o Answers the question is X related to Y 10 You should be able to specify and identify why causal conclusions cannot be drawn from correlational research What are the two specific issues that limit causal conclusions from correlational data Just because a relationship exist this does not mean one thing caused the other Issues o No variables are manipulated o Correlationtional relationships can be used for predictive purposes 11 You should be able to define and identify independent variables dependent variables predictor variables and criterion variables Independent variable What the experimenter changes or manipulates Dependent variable The behavior the experimenter measures Predictor Variables The information that we Criterion Variables The behavior we would like have to predict 12 What types of dependent measures are available self report behavioral physiological and implicit Know about each of these Self report o Participants report on their own behavior or state of mind o Self report measures are popular and easy to use but may have questionable reliability and validity You cannot be sure that a participant is telling you the truth when using a self report measure Behavioral o Record actual behavior of subjects o Several types Frequency Count
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