Chapter One Responsibilities of a good research producer Conducting literature searches Methodology Analyzing and interpreting results Sharing those results Responsibilities of a good consumer Read about research with curiosity Ask appropriate questions Knowledge of research methods Read research with a critical eye Facilitated Communication One behavior that led some researchers to doubt facilitated communication was that clients were observed to type with one finger while looking away from the keyboard Such observations means that the facilitators not the clients were probably creating the typed words Current users of FC say they ensure that clients always see the keys Four Scientific Cycles The Theory Data Cycle o Theory leads to pose research questions which lead to an appropriate research design In the context of the design researchers formulate hypotheses researchers then collect and analyze data which feeds back into the cycle o EX The Contact Comfort Theory Versus the Cupboard Theory Contact Comfort Theory Hunger has little to do with why a baby monkey likes to cling to the warm fuzzy fur of its mother Instead babies are attached to their mothers because of the comfort of cozy touch Cupboard Theory a mother is valuable to a baby mammal because she is a source of food The baby animal gets hungry gets food from the mother by nursing and experiences a pleasant feeling Over time the sight of the mother is associated with pleasure o Applied research is done with a practical problem in mind the researchers hope that their findings will be directly applied to the solution of that problem in a particular real world context EX The researchers may explore new treatments for depression autism or eating disorders But applied psychologists might also experiment with new methods for teaching math or for evaluating teachers Or they might be looking for better ways to identify those most at risk for depression failing in school or cheating The Basic Applied Research Cycle o Basic Research Not intended to address a specific practical problem The goal of basic research is simply to enhance the general body of knowledge Provides basis for later applied studies EX Understand the visual system Identify motivations in depressed individuals learn more about attachment The Peer Review Cycle o Scientific articles are publishes in peer reviewed journals Rigorously reviewed by other scientists Anonymous review so honest assessment Manuscripts can be rejected accepted or accepted with minor or major The Journal to Journalism cycle revisions o Scientists read science journals o Often non scientists write about the findings in the popular press o Pros and cons o The consumer needs to assess importance and accuracy o EX The Mozart Effect Journalists sometimes misrepresent or exaggerate research findings Exaggerated reports of the Mozart Effect even inspired a line of consumer products for children Theory vs Hypothesis Hypothesis is a way of stating the specific outcome that the researcher expects to observe if the theory is accurate Theory is a statement or a set of statements that describes general principles about how variables relate to one another falsifiable o Ex Hypothesis exposure to violent video games will increase aggression Theory watching others engage in behaviors and observing the outcome of those behaviors makes it more or less likely that an individual will also engage in those behaviors Criteria that determines if a theory is a good theory Should be falsifiable Supported by numerous pieces of evidence hypotheses and tests What does it mean for journals to be peer reviewed When an editor receives a manuscript the editor sends it to three or four experts on the subject The experts tell the editor about the manuscript s virtues and flaws and the editor decides whether the paper deserves to be published in the journal Implicit Theory Describes the specific patterns and biases an individual uses when forming impressions based on a limited amount of initial information about an unfamiliar person Why relying on personal experience is less helpful than looking to see what research says about a given topic Chapter Two you are an n of 1 No comparison group Experience is confounded Biases The Good Story more readily Cherry Picking Experience is confounded If a change occurred we can t be sure what caused it Confounds are things that might have caused a change and you didn t control for Confounding variables are things that might have caused a change and you didn t control for A confound occurs when you think one thing caused an outcome but in fact other things changed too so it is not clear what the cause really was o When we accept a conclusion just because it makes sense EX catharsis Present vs not present bias The pop up principle o We notice what is present more than we notice what is absent o Formally known as the availability heuristics o Things that easily come to mind tend to guide our thinking o These are often uncommon events but more emotional or sensational so come to mind We tend to cherry pick the information we take in seeking and accepting only the evidence that supports what we already think and what we want to think How can we reduce overconfidence cherry picking or asking biased questions Create comparison groups and look at all the data Generate data through rigorous studies Don t go with what everyone believes test hunches with systematic empirical observations Ask questions objectively and collect even disconfirming evidence Accept data provisionally and change theories when data no longer support them Know you re not a perfect reasoned so guard yourself against potential pitfalls Strengths and weaknesses of the different types of sources you can use Journal articles o Peer reviewed o Empirical or review o Tend to be more biases based on who funds it or who chooses which article to publish or not Chapters in edited books PychINFO o Book on a common topic with different contributors for each chapter Searches sources in Psychology and a few related disciplines for mainly peer reviewed articles Maintained and updated by APA Need access to the database through college or university Sections of research article Abstract concise summary Introduction background on the topic and goals of the current study Methods details how study was conducted Discussion interpretation of results alternate explanations future directions Results quantitative and qualitative data not raw data
View Full Document
Unlocking...