EDP intro and research
5th step
Analyze and interpret data, quantitative research and qualitative research
What's the relationship between basic and applied research? Try to give an example of how basic research can lead to applied research (think of change blindness)
Basic research aims to increase scientific knowledge while applies research aims to solve a problem or improve our lives
How do we draw meaningful conclusions from data?
Because data is the closest thing to fact that psychologists have
Independent variable
Being manipulated,
4th step
Collect data: objective and subjective data
Know the advantages of correlational studies and give examples of when a correlational study might be the best approach (think convenience, ethical concerns)
Correlational studies: Helps you show the existence of associations; you stick to ethics; cheap
Be able to recognize correlational vs. causal conclusions
Correlational studies: study showing the relationship between two variables with no manipulation
3rd step
Design study: variables (independent and dependent) Operational variables: give specific definition for each variable
How does psychology apply principles of scientific inquiry, and how is it difficult?
Focus on observable, objective data; mathematical analyses to understand and interpret data; make conclusions more reliable
Recall our examples in class (studying expertise in physics, changes in memory capacity)
Harder tasks require more resources, and we only have so much
2nd step
Hypothesis: proposal of what you think will happen; usually based on observation; must be testable; must be falsifiable; shows a simple relation; should be generalizable
Differentiate between descriptive and inferential statistics and know the purposes of each
Inferential Statistics is trying to draw a conclusion based on the association of variables
What is introspectionism? Why is it NOT a very scientific way to study the mind?
It is looking inward and thinking about your own thoughts
How do psychologists come up with research questions?
Observe and see if any patterns appear or if anything interesting is happening
What are some observable phenomena commonly used in psychology research? Give an example and explain its relationship to activities in the mind
Often, this term is used without considering the causes of a particular event. Example of a physical phenomenon is an observable phenomenon of the lunar orbit or the phenomenon of oscillations of a pendulum.
What assumptions do psychologists have to make when relating observable behaviors and the mind?
Psychologists assume that behavior is at least somewhat predictable; assume observable behavior reflect internal process
6th step
Report findings: to journal publications, conferences even if you think it is insignificant
What is the first step of the Research Process
Research question: often inspired by problems or observations
Think about the challenge of relating activities of the mind to observable phenomena.
The mind makes the person observe something in a unique way based on perception.
What is the mind and why is it hard to study?
The mind offers a set of human conclusions, The mind difficult to study because mental processes are not observable, and many behaviors involve a number of process
How do psychologists study the mind?
They combine human behavior studies and there own data
Why is the representativeness of the sample important for the conclusions we draw?
They ensure all relevant types of people and subjects are included in the conclusions that are found.
Be able to explain to someone not in the course (e.g., a family member or friend) how psychologists examine questions about learning and behavior
They examine questions by doing experiments and case studies with multiple test subjects
How does experimental design affect our conclusions?
They provide with studied raw data from experiments
How do we conduct research in psychology?
Through experiments and case studies and research
Be able to evaluate the quality of a hypothesis
You analyse the hypothesis against the observations of others who have studied that topic in the field
Dependent variable
being measured, depends on the independent
Understand the term "operationalization" and why it is important for interpreting and generalizing results
is the process by which a researcher defines how a concept is measured, observed, or manipulated within a particular study. This process translates the theoretical, conceptual variable of interest into a set of specific operations or procedures that define the variable's meaning in a specific study.