PSY 231 1st Edition Lecture 4Outline of Last Lecture I. Think Like A ScientistII. ExperimentsIII. Deciding How The World WorksOutline of Current Lecture II. Coming Up With a Research QuestionIII. How to Stand On the Shoulders of GiantsIV. Value of Published SourcesCurrent LectureComing Up With a Research Question● Research topic○ general area of interest○ usually identifies with only IV or DV● Research question○ asks about relationships between specific variables--IV and DV● Personal Experiences--gives you an unique opportunity to observe● Be broadly informed● Published reports of research--show what is known on your topicHow to Stand on the Shoulders of Giants● Read peer reviewed journals● Do a replication of previous research○ borrow questions or methods● Direct replication--exact copy● Systematic replication--copy a previous study, add/change one feature○ test a new type of participant○ apply an IV to a new problem○ correct a weakness of a previous study○ IV = possible causal factor being studied● Confound --another factor that could have caused results to turn out as they did○ Ex: IV= lights differ in color. Confound= lights differ in brightnessValue of Published Sources● They reveal what is already known● Provide IV manipulation ideas● They provide DV measurement ideas● Operationally defining your DV: gateway to measurement● Operational Definition -- defining a variable so that any two people can recognize it in the same way (how variables will be measured in your study)○ makes things observable○ concrete symptoms of what we want to study○ countable● If you do this right your study should be reliable (observable and countable) and valid (measures the thing it is supposed
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