PSY 223 1st edition Lecture 3 8/27Outline of Last Lecture I. History of Social PsychOutline of Current Lecture II. Research in Social PsychA. Research QuestionsB. HypothesisIII. Two Types of Researcha. Basic Researchb. Applied ResearchIV. Defining and Measuring Variablesa. Conceptual Variablesb. Operational VariablesV. Stages of Research ProcessVI. Self-ReportsCurrent LectureResearch in Social PsychAll research begins with a question- Can come from many sources including:o Own experiences and observations of lifeo Reading about research already done (search literature)o TheoriesSome research questions can be shaped into a hypothesisHypothesis: testable proposition that describes a relationship that may exist between events (or variables)Ex. Two people meeting for the first time will like each other more if they are more similarThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Two types of Research- Basic Research: test theory and human behavior- Applied Research: solve real world problems Defining and Measuring VariablesConceptual variables: variables in abstract, general form (ex. Self-esteem)Operational variables: the specific way a variable is measured or manipulatedo Validity and reliability important in operational variableso Validity: measuring what it’s supposed to measureo Reliability: other researchers’ findings would be consistent with current studyStages of Research Process Generating a research question or hypothesis Finding a relevant past research/theory Select research method Collect data Analyze data Report resultsGoal of research can be description, correlation, or causationSelf-ReportsThere are different types of self-reports:o Interviewso Self-report questionnaires (paper and on-line)o Telephone interviewsAdvantages:o Easeo Given access to people’s beliefs, history, and pastDisadvantages:o People may not always tell the trutho Response may be affected by format or wordingo Memory prone to erroro Correlations do not tell us about causationTwo general type of samples for research: convenience sample (use the population that is convenient to you) or random sample (everyone in the population being researched has equal chance of being
View Full Document
Unlocking...