PY 371 Lecture 8 Outline of Last Lecture I. Social Construction of GenderOutline of Current Lecture II. Correlational methods vs. experimental methodsIII.Meta-analysisIV. Experimenter effects and participant effectsV. Variable confounded with sexCurrent LectureCorrelational Methods Vs. Experimental Methods- Advantages and disadvantages to each method - Correlational research usually is easier to conduct; has high external validity but low internal validity- Experimental research usually has high internal validity but low external validity if conducted in the lab. Experiments are the only way to truly know if something caused something. A correlation can identify a cause and effect but you won’t know unless you do an experiment.- Can ‘sex differences’ studies be true experiments?o Sex can’t be manipulated or randomly assigned so, not a true independent variableo Usually a subject variable. A characteristic of a persono However when sex is a stimulus or a target variable, a true experiment can be conducted Meta-analysis- Statistical tool to summarize the results of many studies- Have been conducted on sex comparisons in a wide variety of domains- Considers both statistical differences and the size of the differenceExperimenter EffectsThese 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.- Ways in which the experimenter can intentionally or unintentionally influence the resultsof a studyParticipant Effects- Demand characteristics refer to the ways that participants can influence study outcomes- Remedies: ensure confidentiality; disguise purpose of study; have multiple measures of a behavior- Setting: laboratory Vs. fieldo Gender differences less likely to be found laboratory than in the field settingso In laboratories, men and women face similar conditionso In the real world, men and women often do not face similar conditionsVariable Confounded with Sex- When comparing the sexes, can’t be certain that differences are due to sex alone- Sex may be confounded with:o Statuso Gender roleso Other factors- Situational influences o Need to consider situational constraints that can affect whether or not gender differences will emergeo More behaviorally constrained situation, more gender