3 types of psychological research
1. Observational: direct, objective observation without manipulation
Benefits:
provides a realistic picture of how people behave
Understand interactions between individuals and their environment
DrawBacks:
Difficult to control opportunities to observe the behavior
potential for an observer effect
subject may change their behavior due to an awareness of being observed
Potential Observer Bias: may unconsciously skew their observations to fit their research goals.
2. Correlational: measurement of two or more variables and how they covary
Benefits:
Allows for predictive statements (if this, then this)
Deeper level of understanding beyond the natural obs
can be useful when experimentation is not possible (for ethical reasons: texting and driving)
Direction of Correlation: A correlation coefficient is a number between -1.0 and +1.0 that
indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between the two variables
Positive: a relationship between two variables in which both variables either increase or
decrease together
(EX: increasing numbers of study hours and increasing exam scores)
Negative: Relationship between two variables in which one variable increases when the other
decreases
Zero Correlation: A relationship between two variables in which one variable... to the other
***Correlation does not mean Causation***
The Third Variable problem: the correlation that is observed is due to another variable that is not
measured
3. Experimental: Manipulating variables to identify causal relations
Benefits: Establishes a cause-and-effect relationship
Control over variables
Minimizes biases that come with interpreting observational and correlational data
Involves analyzing the effects of one variable on another. (variable: anything that can change)
Operational definition: a precise definition of a variable that specifies how the variable will
be measured
GOOD DEFINITION:
Aggression: the number of times a person
raises their voice, interrupts others, or
physically pushes objects or people.
BAD DEFINITION:
Aggression: when someone is angry or mean
to others
Attention: When someone is really focused
on something
INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES:
Identifying a cause-and-effect relationship using research requires two things
Indep: a variable that the researcher manipulates
(what the experimenter is changing between experimental and controlled conditions
Depen: the outcome that is measured, based on the effect of the independent variable
EXAMPLE:
Independent variable: amount of sleep
Dependent variable: test score
Designing a controlled experiment:
RANDOM SAMPLING: a subset of a larger population in which every member of the population
has an equal chance of being selected
GROUPS: experimental: the group that receives the experimental manipulation: Control: the
group that does not receive the manipulation
RANDOM ASSIGNMENT: all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either
group (ENSURES there……)