Module 1 Lesson 6

Research in Psychology

Title: Kids at table doing

experiment
Author: Rejon
Source: Openclipart
https://openclipart.org/deta
il/38305/kids-at-table-
doing-experiment
License: Public Domain
Descriptive Research
Methods
 Methods that yield descriptions of
behavior
 These methods include
– Naturalistic and laboratory observation
– Case study
– Survey research
– The correlational method
How do psychological researchers
use naturalistic and laboratory
observation?
 Naturalistic observation
– Observation of behavior in its natural
setting, without attempting to influence it
 Laboratory observation
– Studying behavior in a laboratory setting
– This allows more control and more
precise measurement of responses
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of the case study?

 Case study
– Studying a single individual or small number of
persons in depth
 Advantage
– Appropriate for studying rare psychological
disorders or brain damage
 Disadvantages
– Cannot identify the cause of behavior
– Potential for bias
– Results can lack generalizability
How do researchers ensure
that survey results are useful?
 Survey research
– Uses interviews and/or questionnaires to gather
information about the attitudes, beliefs, or
behaviors of a group of people
– Instead of studying the whole population,
researchers survey a sample
 To be useful, surveys must involve a
representative sample
– A sample that mirrors the population of interest
What are the strengths and
weaknesses of the correlational
method?
 Correlational method
– Used to establish the degree of a relationship
between two characteristics, events, or
behaviors
 Strengths
– When the correlation between two variables is
known, information about one variable can be
used to predict the other
 Weakness
– A correlation cannot be used to support the
conclusion that one variable causes the other
The Experimental Method

 The research method used to

determine the causes of behavior
Why do researchers use
experiments to test hypotheses
about cause-effect relationships?
 The experimental method is the
only research method that can identify
cause-effect relationships
How do independent and
dependent variables differ?

 Independent variable
– A factor or condition that is deliberately
manipulated to determine whether it
causes any change in another behavior or
condition
 Dependent variable
– A factor or condition that is measured at
the end of an experiment
Why are experimental and
control groups necessary?
 Experimental group
– The group that is exposed to the independent
variable
 Control group
– A group that is exposed to the same
experimental environment but is not given the
treatment
 Comparing experimental and control groups
allows researchers to judge the effects of
the independent variable compared to
outcomes that occur naturally
What kinds of factors introduce
bias into experimental studies?
 Placebo effect
– Response to a treatment caused by a person’s
expectations, not the treatment itself
 Experimenter bias
– Occurs when the researcher’s expectations
influence the experiment’s results
 These effects can be controlled by using the
double-blind technique
– In which neither the experimenter nor
participants know who is in the experimental and
control groups
What are the limitations of the
experimental method?

 Experiments are often conducted in

unnatural settings, limiting the
generalizability of the results
 This method may also be unethical or
impossible to use for some research
Ethics in Psychological
Research
 Researchers are ethically obligated to
protect the rights of all study
participants
What ethical rules must
researchers follow when humans
are involved in studies?
 Legality
– Research must conform to applicable laws
 Institutional Approval
– Must be approved by all institutions involved in a
study
 Informed Consent
– Participants must be informed of the purpose of
a study and any potential harm
 Deception
– Only used when necessary
– If deceived, participants must be debriefed
What ethical rules must
researchers follow when humans
are involved in studies?
 Clients, patients, students, and
subordinates
– Must not be negatively affected by participating
 Payment for participation
– Is ethical
– But participants must be fully informed about
what is expected
 Publication
– Researchers must report findings in an
appropriate forum, and make their data available
to others for verification
Who are some of the specialists
working within psychology?
 Clinical psychologists
– Specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and
behavioral disorders, such as anxiety, phobias, and
schizophrenia
 Counseling psychologists
– Help people who have adjustment problems (marital,
social, or behavioral) that are generally less severe
 Physiological, or biological, psychologists
– Study the relationship between physiological processes
and behavior
 Experimental psychologists
– Conduct experiments in most areas of psychology,
including learning, memory, and perception
Who are some of the specialists
working within psychology?
 Developmental psychologists
– Study how people grow, develop, and change
throughout the lifespan
 Educational psychologists
– Specialize in the study of teaching and learning
 Social psychologists
– Investigate how individuals feel, think, and
behave in social settings
 Industrial/organizational
psychologists
– Study the relationship between people and their
work environments