RESEARCH METHODS
1. PERCEIVING THE QUESTION
What do you want to know about?
2. FORMING A HYPOTHESIS
What is my educated guess?
3. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS
What method of research should I use?
4. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
How do I use statistics to draw conclusions?
5. REPORT YOUR RESULTS
Share with others, allow for replication
 Do
opposites
attract?
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OR,
 Do
birds of a
feather flock
together?
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http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=4112">Image: metrue /
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Simply wants to gather information
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Gives a detailed description
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Observes and records
Does not seek to show relationships
Best way to look at behavior of animals or people
 In natural environment
Advantage: realistic picture of
behavior because you
are seeing it happen
Disadvantages:
-observer bias: see what expect
to
-observer effect: act differently
because being watched

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1058">Image: Arvind Balaraman
When observation in a natural setting is not
practical
 NOT AN EXPERIMENT
Advantages: gives more control to researcher
Disadvantages: artificial setting means may not
reflect behavior in “real world”
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mages/view_photog.php?photogid=
1499">Image: Ambro /
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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One individual/small group are
studied in great detail
Uses all other methods of research
Usually unusual/rare cases
http://schoolswikipedia.org/images/5
26/52611.jpg
Advantage: lots of detail/information
Disadvantage: low generalizability-can’t really
be applied to others
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Ask questions about topic you are studying
Questionnaires, interviews, on internet
Can ask about embarrassing/personal info
Advantages: lots of information from large
group of people, quick results, inexpensive
Disadvantages:
Social desirability bias: people want to look good
Volunteer bias: people who participate are different
Framing: way word questions can affect answers
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When choosing participants, can’t survey
everyone from population
Must choose people to be representative of
whole group
Random sample: everyone in the population
has an equal chance to be in study
More people, randomly chosen means more
likely to be representative
Generalizability: how well sample represents
target population, do results apply to all?
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Seeks relationship between 2 variables
Does NOT want to prove cause/effect
Positive correlation: variables increase in the
same direction more studying, better grades
Negative correlation: variables have an
inverse relationship more smoking, worse
health
Illusory correlation: no real relationship exists
sugar and hyperactivity

Statistics that show strength of the
relationship between variables
Perfect positive correlation = +1
Perfect negative correlation = -1
No correlation = 0

-1---------------0--------------+1
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Further from 0 = stronger the relationship
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Graph to show correlations
10
8
6
Weight loss
4
2
0
0
5
10
 IT
IS THE ONLY METHOD
THAT CAN SHOW A CAUSE
AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN 2 VARIABLES
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Researchers manipulate the variable they
think is causing the change and then they
CONTROL everything else but that variable,
IF the other variable changes then they know
it was due to their manipulation.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
 Do
violent
cartoon shows
cause
children to be
more
aggressive?
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bugs_Bunny__Fresh_Hare_(_any_1942).JPG
Independent variable: the variable
being manipulated by the researcher
Dependent variable: the variable that is
being measured for change
Operational Definitions: how the
variables are going to be measured
and quantified so that the research
can be replicated
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IV: violent cartoons (what the researchers will
control and manipulate)
Operational definition: What makes a cartoon
violent? How many acts of violence? Must
quantify.
DV: aggressive behavior (what they want to
measure)
Operational definition : What is an aggressive
act? How will they know if a kid is more
aggressive or less?
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Other factors that can affect the Independent
Variable OTHER THAN the Dependent Variable
Don’t allow for Cause-Effect conclusion
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Exs.: kid’s home-life, natural temperament,
grumpy that day, hungry, tired, don’t like
cartoons, mad they have to be in an
experiment
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How to control for these??
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Experimental group: get the experimental
manipulation (watch the violent cartoon)
Control group: don’t get the manipulation,
there only for comparison (watch a nonviolent
cartoon)
MUST BE ALIKE IN EVERY OTHER WAY
Random assignment: must have an equal
chance of being in the control or
experimental groups
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Placebos: fake treatments
-placebo effect: expectations of participants
can influence their behavior
Single-blind: participant doesn’t know if in
control or experimental group
-subject bias: tendency to act how they think
they are supposed to act
Double-blind: neither participant nor
researcher knows the group
-experimenter bias: researcher
unintentionally influences the study
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Participants in research have the right to
expect that no physical or psychological harm
will come to them.
Guidelines are established by the American
Psychological Association
Institutional Review Boards: check over the
proposed research for ethical concerns and
for any flaws in the design
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Why use animals?
Shorter lives = long-term effects sooner
Easier to control
Simpler behavior=easier to see manipulations
Can do things to animals can’t do to humans
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Least amount of harm possible
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informed consent
deception must be limited and justified
participants can withdraw at any time
confidentiality must be maintained
no long-term mental risk
no physical risk
debriefing