Research Methods Ch 14
Direct/exact replication
-researchers repeat an original study as closely as they can, to see whether the original effect shows up in the newly collected data. -small variants such as the repeated study being done at a different time of year, small setting differences, and other minor circumstances may have changed in a replication, but it can still be considered this type if it is as close to the original study as possible.
Conceptual replication
-researchers study the same research question but use different procedures. -The variables of the study are the same but the procedures for operationalizing the variable are different.
What should you keep in mind when analyzing a study's importance?
-the study's replicability -the researchers priorities -the study's purpose
Limitations of Meta-analysis
-there is a publication bias in psychology due to the fact that significant relationships are more likely to be published than null effects, resulting in a file drawer problem
Meta-analysis
-used to make a mathematical summary of a scientific literature -a way of mathematically averaging the results of all the studies that have tested the same variables, to see what conclusions that whole body of evidence supports. -the process of collecting all possible studies on a particular research question and combining them mathematically to study the overall trend in the data. -has some strengths and also limitations
field study
-when a study takes place in the "real world." -it has a built-in advantage for external validity because it clearly applies to real-world settings. However, just because a setting seems realistic, doesn't mean it represents all possible settings a person might encounter. -note that real life settings also include classrooms and research labs -often replicate lab research, especially when the laboratory effect sizes are large
theory-testing-mode
-when researchers work in this mode, they are usually testing association or causal claims to investigate support for a theory -usually used for basic research -usually demands that experimenters create artificial situations that allow them to minimize distractions, eliminate alternative explanations, and isolate individual features of some situation. -prioritizes internal validity.
Meta-analysis examples
1) Religiosity and Depression--although the different studies may have used different samples or slightly different operational measures of depression and religiosity, they all investigate the "bivariate relationship" between the two. The analysis finds an average correlation across many studies on the relationship between the two variables. Shows whether there is a relationship and may also show the size of the effect. 2) Violent video games and behavior--collected data from 92 experimental studies and 82 correlational studies, separated out those that measured different dependent variables. Analyzed to show average effect size across studies and also analyzed to show effect size across nationalities of sample.
Three types of replication studies
1. Direct replication 2. Conceptual replication 3. replication-plus-extension
what happens when independent researchers are unable to replicate a result?
Although many effects in psychology have replicated, others have not. In this case, you have to be more cautious about the importance of the effect.
Generalization mode and the real world
-In this case, researchers may strive for a representative sample of a population and also try to enhance the ecological validity of their study in order to ensure its generalizability to nonlaboratory settings.
Example cultural psychology studies
-Muller-lyer illusion: ability to distinguish between the two line lengths. almost all Northern american sand Europeans fall for this illusion (lines aren't identical but they fall for illusion). but not all people do; many people around the world, when tesetd, do not see one line as longer than the other. -Figure and Ground: focus on the background or the front "focal" objects when shown the picture of fish and more in water.
What does "WEIRD" participants stand for
-Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. -it refers to the participants/subjects of the majority (96%) of studies done in the top six journals in psychology. -not very representative of the world's people.
File drawer problem
-a meta-analysis might be overestimating the true size of an effect because null effects, or even opposite effects, have not been included in the collection process.
ecological validity
-a study's similarity to real-world contexts -mundane realism
Cultural psychology
-a subdiscipline of psychology focusing on how cultural contexts shape the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. -primarily studied using generalization mode. -support the idea that a theory that has been supported by a study in one human sample will not necessarily hold true for all people.
Strengths of meta-analysis
-because the analysis usually contain data that have been published to empirical journals, you can be more certain that the data have been peer-reviewed. -
Theory-testing mode and the real world
-external validity and real world applicability are lower priorities in this case
Which types of claims are most often conducted in theory-testing mode?
Association and Causal claims. They can however, sometimes be done in generalization mode.
Which types of claims are always in Generalization mode?
Frequency claims. That is because representative samples are essential to support these types of claims.
Direct replication example study
Hypothesized people might become more attracted to others who share their birthday, name, or initials. This is because people seem to like those that share arbitrary features with them. Found that when participants were given a partner with the ID number that matched their own birthday, participants reported liking the partner more!
which validity matters more in theory-testing mode: internal or external?
Internal matters more/is prioritized in the theory-data cycle
What does replicability do for a study?
it gives a study credibility, makes the study reliable, and interrogates the external validity of a study.
external validity
measures the degree to which a study's results are generalizable to both other participants and other settings. -supported by conceptual replications and replication-plus-extension studies. -population of interest is importantly specified. -"How" matters more than "How Many", random selection is better then a larger sample of non-randomly selected people -Just because a sample comes from a population doesn't mean it generalizes to that population. -*the importance of this depends on the priorities of the researcher*
Replication-plus extension
researchers replicate their original study but add variables to test additional questions. -can be done by introducing a participant variable or a situation variable
Experimental realism
studies try to create settings in which people experience authentic emotions, motivations, and behaviors.
replicable/reproducable
the ability of a study to produce the same results if done again
What are the most important conclusion in psychology
those based on a body of evidence/a large scientific litarature
replication study
when a researcher performs a study again.
Generalization mode
when researchers work in this mode, they want to generalize the findings form their study to a larger population. -usually involves carefulness to use a probability sample with appropriate diversity and careful to protect external validity -usually used for applied research
scientific literature
A series of related studies, conducted by various researchers, that have tested similar variables.
Replication-plus extension example study
cell phone effecting driving performance study. First studied how the cell phone effected driving performance and in a later study tested if there was a difference across age! -the older aged people were the new population of participants--the extension by a participant variable -if in a new study they added a new variable such as degree of practice--the extension by situation variable.
