Study Guide for Quiz Based on Psychology as a Science Lecture Definition for Psychology The scientific study of behavior what people do and mental processes how people process information Misconceptions in Psychology VARK Visual Aural Read Write Kinesthetic Learning Styles are NOT based on true Psychology but based on preference There have been few studies to verify the VARK Learning Styles Scientific Theory explanation for a large number of findings in the natural and psychological world Misconceptions Using theory describing one specific event A theory is just an educated guess Scientific Theory explanation for a large number of findings in the natural and psychological world Example Theories Cell theory Big Bang Theory Theory of Evolution Deliberate Practice Theory Good Theories will generate new predictions Variable any factor in a study that you seek to measure eg Gender Shoe Size IQ GPA etc Operational Definition conceptually explaining your variables in a way that can be measured The operational definition of the variable height could be inches The operational definition of weight could be pounds IMPORTANT NOTE There may be more than one operational definition for any given variable For example the operational definition of height could be inches feet centimeters meters etc 1 Hypothesis A statement predicting the outcome of a scientific study a statement describing the relationship between variables Should be based on previous knowledge research or theories Asks a specific question to be answered Example Hypotheses someone commits Number of hours playing violent video games is related to the amount of violent crimes Number of hours watching Jersey Shore per week is negatively related to a students success in undergraduate schools Empirical Hypothesis A hypothesis that is verifiable by observation or experience rather than by reasoning or pure logic eg Students that have the television on in the background while studying perform worse than those who study with no distractions Empirical or not Napoleon Dynamite is the worst movie of all time NO People who believe in God typically live longer lives than other people YES Test Yourself Identify the number of Variables and the Operational Definitions of those variables 1 Hypothesis Subjects that study with distractions will get lower grades Variables 2 Operational Definition Distractions Amount of noise time spent distracted etc Grades Points scored on assignments letter grade etc 2 Hypotheses Attractive people make more money than equally qualified less attractive people Variables 3 Operational Definition Attractiveness Facial Symmetry etc Qualifications degree credit hours spent in a certain field etc Money Amount of money earned in dollars etc Replication Repeating the essence of a research study usually with different participants to see if the previous findings will extend to other participants and situations Asks the question Will doing the same thing reliably obtain the same results 2 When should we repeat a study When the results are o Controversial o Surprising o Not what you are looking for o Did not reach conclusive findings Different approaches to gathering research Case Study Survey Method Naturalistic Observation Correlational Studies Experimental Studies Case Study Research typically involving one subject that aims to discover universal principles Information could benefit population as a whole Some cases can t be experimentally manipulated Reveals what is possible Every individual is unique Care must be taken when extending findings to more than the individual in the study Survey Method Technique for obtaining self reported attitudes or behaviors of a group usually by questioning a representative group Very popular in Social Psychology Allows the experimenter to obtain pertinent information useful to the study Relatively inexpensive and fast A great first step in research Can address questions that could not be observed People may be biased in their answers because they do not want to look bad Answers could be biased according to wording of questions Wording Effects the phrasing of the questions will affect the responses Ex Affirmative action vs preferential treatment Welfare vs Aid to the Needy Government Censorships vs More TV restrictions 3 Benefits Cautions Benefits Cautions Naturalistic Observation Observing occurrences as they are naturally Involves minimal if any manipulation The other side of lab work Benefits Cautions High External Validity The extent to which we can generalize our findings to other situations and other people Mitigates concerns about experimental effects Provides future questions for experimental research May be difficult to determine causation Difficult to eliminate alternative explanations Correlational Research A form of research in which the relationship between variables is studied but without experimental manipulation of the independent variable Variable A increases decreases as Variable B increases decreases Requires data on at least 2 variables Variable A is related to Variable B Causal Variable A CAUSES Variable B Requires an Experiment is performed Cause and Effect Examples As income decreases the number of cars owned decreases People that drink less coffee typically own less coffee cups People that take more allergy medication are less likely to own cats or dogs The number of miles someone drives to work is not related to the amount of bubble gum they chew each day Data on a survey finds that long term marijuana use is related to higher levels of depression As variable A increases variable B increases How do we give a value to correlation Direction Strength 4 The Scatterplot below shows the relationship between height and temperament in people There is a moderate positive correlation of r 0 63 How to Measure Correlation 2 Questions Is the correlation positive negative or zero Direction How strong is the correlation Strength Strength of correlation is measured with correlation coefficient r Direction is measured with or r will always be between 1 and 1 5 How strong is the relationship r 0 1 3 7 1 size None Weak Modest Strong Perfect 5 Moderate Different Types of Correlations and their Correspondent Scatter Plots 6 Benefits of Correlational Research Less expensive than experimental research Great starting point for research Can look at problems that are unethical to manipulate CORRELATION DOES NOT IMPLY CAUSATION Difficult to determine what caused the effect We can determine
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