Back to Psyc 1A | Back to
Jeanie's home
The Scientific Method
How do you answer
questions?
n
Testimonials: use of personal
experiences to make decisions
n
Testimonials have PROBLEMS:
1. Placebo effect
2. Lack generalizability
HOW?
Pseudopsychologies
n
Relying on
pseudopsychologies: unreliable approaches that do not use the scientific method
n
Examples of
pseudopsychologies include:
HOW?
Correlational Research
n
n
Correlations
vary in direction:
¨
Positive
association:
¨
Negative
association:
¨
No relation:
Correlation
Problem: CORRELATION DOES NOT INDICATE
CAUSATION!
n
Reverse
causality
n
Problem of third
variables
n
Correlation coefficient
=
¨
n
n
Overview of the Scientific
Method
Scientific Method
Hypothesis
n
n
Operational Definition
¨
Scientific Method
Data Collection
n
Objectivity:
n
Reliability:
n
Validity: I
n
Representative
Sampling:
nReplication:
Descriptive Research
n
Naturalistic
observation:
n
Advantages:
¨
n
Disadvantages:
¨
¨
¨
Descriptive Research
n
Surveys:
n
Advantages:
¨
n
Disadvantages:
¨
¨
Descriptive Research
n
Case study: an
in-depth study of a single person
¨
Advantages
n
¨
Disadvantages
n
n
n
The Experiment
n
Experiment:
n
Advantages:
¨
n
Disadvantages:
¨
¨
The Experiment
n
To test a
hypothesis, an experimenter defines the variables of the hypothesis:
¨
Cause:
Independent variable (IV)
n
¨
Effect:
Dependent variable (DV)
n
n
The experimenter
manipulates the IV and measures the DV to test the hypothesis
The Experiment
n
Experimental
Group:
n
Control Group:
Active Learning Exercise
Critical Thinkers:
Non-Critical Thinkers:
CRITICAL THINKERS…
n
look for
alternative explanations and contradictory evidence!!!