PSY 2311st Edition Lecture 5Outline of Last Lecture I. Coming Up With Research QuestionsII. How to Stand on The Shoulders of GiantsIII. Value of Published SourcesOutline of Current Lecture II. MeasurementIII. Three Ways to be SubjectiveIV. BehaviorsV. Physiological MeasurementVI. Interviews and SurveysVII. Quantitative MeasurementVIII. SensitivityCurrent LectureMeasurement● Video clip-- coach yelled at the basketball player and he missed the shot.● Science must be objective●SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVEBased on things not verifiable by others Based on observable factsAn interpretation Specific things people do or sayInterobserver Agreement -- can be observed the same way by any two observers.● Example: SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVEThe coach tried to motivate the player The coach was screamingThe player was under a lot of pressure The player was standingThe player missed the shotThree Ways to be Subjective1. Too much attention to mental constructs as cause or effecta. Ex: bad attitude, depressed mood, uncaring, trying hardb. Keeps us from paying attention to what people actually do. Presuming is something you do, not the person you observe.2. Treating behavioral constructs as behaviora. Ex: lazy, manipulative, creative, rudeb. Idea that unites or summaries many behaviorsc. The idea comes from you, not the person you observe3. Too much attention to behavior products instead of behaviora. Objects or records the behavior createsb. Ex: number of cars sold, number of office referralsc. What behavior created these products?Behaviors● Great because…○ Reliability (often) directly observable○ (often) do not need special tools○ Validity: direct example of behaviors of interest● Concerns…○ Validity: link to cognitions, physiologyPhysiological Measures● Great because…○ Special equipments can measure--potentially good reliability○ Validity: direct link to body changes of interests● Concerns…○ Availability of equipment○ Special skills○ Validity: link to behaviors, cognitionsInterviews and Surveys● Types○ Self reports about behaviors○ “Symptoms”of cognitions: mental constructs● Great because…○ (often) easy to build○ no special equipment○ (possible) clues about cognitions, “private” behaviors● Concerns…○ Accuracy of self reports○ Reliability: test-retest correlations○ Validity: link between answers and cognitions, behaviors, physiological can be hard to establish■ Correlation with other measures of the same thing■ Future behaviors (predictive validity)■ Other questionnaires (convergent validity)Quantitative Measurements● Countable● Data -- record of an observation● Qualitative -- expressed as words (or pictures, sounds)● Quantitative -- expressed as numbers● Pluses of using numbers○ Reveal patterns in observations○ Make communication easierSensitivity● Ability of your measurement to detect important changes in the thing measured○ Short time frame○ Small changes○ The “right” changes● Promoting Sensitivity○ Measure something that can actually change quickly○ Large range of possible scores○ Large range of obtained