Chapter 1 1 Compare contrast basic and applied research a Compare i Neither is considered superior to the other ii We think of them both on a continuum iii They work in synergy b Contrast i Basic research ii Applied research 1 Main goal of it is to increase our knowledge 1 Main goal of this type is to find specific solutions to certain problems 2 Be familiar with the 3 goals of behavioral research a Describe behavior what people think feel do i Example s Public opinion poll i e What radio station do you listen to a survey at the bottom of a receipt i Example How you do in college based on SAT scores test b Predict behavior performance c Explain behavior i The most important goal of researchers GENERAL NOTE FOR THIS These 3 goals are aimed at establishing and refining theories 3 Be familiar with the 3 defining features of science a Systematic empiricism i Breakdown 1 Systematic following a set of rules not random or schema driven 2 Empiricism practice of relying on observation not logic intuition dreams common sense etc ii Overall for this concept science is essentially answering questions about the world based on rule based observation 1 Also data obtained through this approach method allows researchers to draw much more confident conclusions than they can draw from causal observation alone b Public verification i Replication and continuous challenging of ideas 1 This needs to occur because a Phenomena scientists study are real and observable and not one person s fabrications b Public verification makes science self correcting ii Report findings to scientific community Journals 1 2 Presentations iii Overall for this concept the system is open to scrutiny and criticism of scientific community every finding is critiqued by several experts in the field 1 This helps increase likelihood of detecting and correcting future errors and incorrect conclusions c Solvable problems i Only answerable questions based on current knowledge and research techniques ii Essentially many new questions fall outside the realm of scientific investigation iii Examples Is there a god do angels exist 4 Be familiar with how findings are reported to the scientific community Journals a b Presentations 5 Understand why a priori predictions are preferred over post hoc explanations a Because of hindsight bias which essentially means that nearly everything makes sense after it happens 6 Be familiar with the basic strategies of behavioral research a 7 Be able to operationally define variables a Essentially the areas that are tested in an experiment to see their causes and effects in it as well as on the results Chapter 2 1 Know what variance is and how it is calculated a Defined it is the sum of the extent to which points deviate from the mean b Steps to calculating it i Find the mean ii Subtract the mean from each score deviation score iii Square the deviation scores because some are negative and some are positive iv Sum the squared deviation scores total sum of squares v Divide by n 1 otherwise bigger sample automatically has more variability 2 Be familiar with statistical notation for mean variance number etc a Mean x sample mean population mean b Variance s 2 sample variance o 2 variance c Number n sample size d Standard deviation ox e Summation E General equation s 2 E yi ybar 2 n 1 3 Understand the difference between systematic and error variance Be familiar with factors that contribute to error variance a Difference Systematic variance in the dependent outcome variable associated with the independent variable one that changes predicts behavior what will be affected Error variance in the dependent variable NOT associated with the independent variable Total variance comprises these 2 b Error variance factors a Not mistakes b Unmeasured variables i So the term error is misleading Chapter 3 1 Be familiar with the various scales of measurement a Nominal Numbers are categorical named labels i ii Most simplistic type code sheet directs us iii Examples gender race b Ordinal c Interval d Ratio scale i Numbers are ranks ii Essentially ordering of numbers iii Examples rank priorities rank satisfaction with items i Equal differences between numbers reflect equal differences between participants responses ii Examples approval of Obama self esteem i Because they have a true zero point numbers can be subject to mathematical transformations ii Examples age weight e GENERAL INFO measurement i For scales any piece of research is only as good as it s ii Not all numbers can be treated the same way 1 Some are labels statistics others are actual numbers iii Scales tell us 1 The type of info 2 Amount of info 3 Types of analyses that can be performed 2 Be familiar with the factors that contribute to measurement error a Transient states things that change through time from movement to movement i Example mood hunger fatigue b Stable characteristics between people i Suspicion deceit 1 If you re suspicious about being deceived in a psych study you might act differently c Situational factors i Example Researcher room temperature 1 How you react to a researcher or temperature of a room affects your focus she doesn t want people in her lab to be overly mean or overly nice since this could also affect the results d Measurement characteristics i Example ambiguous questions they can t measure how well people know the material e Recording errors i Examples hitting the wrong key recording the wrong number for the results 3 Know specific types of reliability i e internal consistency test retest inter rater a Internal consistency AKA interitem reliability i Associations among items on a scale 1 Item total 2 Split half 3 Cronbach s Alpha b Test retest c Inter rater i Association between tests given on two occasions i Association between among raters or observers 4 Know specific types of validity i e construct face convergent divergent criterion prediction a Construct i Does the measure relate as expected to other established measures independent variables 1 Convergent correlate with other measures that it should correlate with 2 Discriminant not correlate with other measures that it should correlate with b Face measure c Criterion i Does the measure appear to measure what it is supposed to i Is the measure related as expected to other outcomes dependent variables usually behavior 1 Concurrent 2 measures administered at roughly same time 2 Predictive measure s ability to distinguish between people on a relevant behavioral criterion at some time
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