AP Psychology
Unit II: Research Methods
1st Period
Group 1: Why are the answers that flow from the scientific approach more reliable
than those based on intuition and common sense?
Answers that flow from the scientific approach are more reliable because they can be
proven more accurately. answers from intuition and from common sense come from your
gut and something you should already know. Hindsight bias and overconfidence often leads
us to overestimate our intuition. But scientific inquiry can help us sift reality from illusion.
Group 2: What are three main components of the scientific attitude?
First and foremost, the scientific attitude is the “mental outlook distinguished by an impartial and
unbiased method and the application of empirical approaches in the quest for understanding”. That
is a really complicated definition, so we might want to break it down a bit. Empirical approaches
simply mean an experimental or observational way of looking at things. In essence, having a
scientific attitude means that you look at things objectively in order to find answers. The three main
components of a scientific attitude are curiosity, skepticism, and humility. Having curiosity means
that you are a seeker of answers; you have a passion to explore and understand the unknown.
Skepticism is based on the theory that certain knowledge is impossible. “To believe with certainty,
we must begin by doubting.” (Stanislaw Leszezynski) Humility is being able to reject your own ides
in the face of conflicting evidence. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself
less.” (Rick Warren) The three main attitudes contribute to modern psychology by preparing us to
think critically about problems.
Group 3: How do theories advance psychological science?

Theories are an integral part of the ________________. Psychologists make
________________, form _________________, and then refine the theories based on
their observations.

A theory is
_______________________________________________________________________.

Why are theories used?
_______________________________________________________________________.

A theory needs to be followed up by a ______________________, or a testable
prediction, that will give us more observations on whatever is being tested.

To eliminate any bias in the observation, the research needs to be reported with
________________________, which allows the research to be _________________.

A theory is useful in one of two ways.
o 1) _______________________________________________________________
o 2) _______________________________________________________________
Example – Stanford Prison Experiment
1) Theory
Ex) The environment and situation around
you determine how to behave rather than
the person character traits you posses.
3) Research and Observations
Ex) The guards adopted behaviors of
actual jail guards, and the inmates
adopted behaviors of real inmates.
2) Hypothesis
Ex) The environment of being in a jail
will have an effect on the behaviors of the
subjects.
Group 4: How do psychologists observe and describe behavior?
1) Psychologists use the __________ ___________ to design experiments which test their hypotheses
in a manner that can be ____________ by other psychologists.
2) ___________ __________ are used by psychologists to study ______ people in depth in order to
find general truths in all of us.
3) ____________ are used to look at __________ cases in ________ depth. However, your results
depend on the wording of questions and the sample of respondents.
4) ______________ _____________________ is used by psychologists, and it is the process of
observing people in nature. However, this does not explain behavior; it describes it.
5) ___________-___________ ______________ are used to nullify the ____________ ___________
and obtain accurate results. In this procedure, neither the psychologists nor the patients are aware
if they are aware if they are receiving the treatment or a placebo.
6) ______________________ are used to describe correlations between two variables.
Y-Values
4
3
2
Y-Values
1
0
0
2
4
7) _______________ _______________ are perceived nonexistent correlations between variables. We
forget that random samples are random, and there is no pattern. ___________ is not
____________.
Group 5: Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life?
Yes. Scientists aim to test theoretical principles that can be applied to everyday life. They create a
planned and controlled lab environment and method of study, that can realistically explain the unknown
questions we have yet to figure out about life and daily habits. The goal of lab experiments is to
understand the underlying foundation principles of our behavior. One example would be the Loftus and
Palmer study. They conducted a lab experiment where they tested 45 different students, by showing them
film of car accidents and then questioning them on what they saw. However, they changed the wording
with each interview, and studied how the responses varied. The hypothesis was testing to find out how
word choice affects response, and their findings proved that the verb use changed the estimated speed
the witness gave. The test proved that eye witness testimonies may be biased because of the interviewer
and different word choice given, which can be applied to everyday life (as in court cases, crime scenes, or
even everyday gossip).
Group 6: Why do psychologists study animals, and is it ethical to experiment on
animals?
Psychologists study animals because


Under ethical and legal guidelines animals rarely experience
Animal rights groups raise an important issue

Scientists argue back saying
life is the first priority.
Example: Monkeys being exposed to HIV and AIDS vaccines
.
Group 7: Is it ethical to experiment on people?

Yes, only under certain guidelines.
- Examples:
1. The participant should be aware of the experiment.
2. They should have all the information needed.
3. Participants should stay anonymous.
4. Informed consent.
5. The experiment is unethical if the participant is forced to stay.
6. Protection of privacy and well-being.
7. Benefits should outweigh costs.
8. Protections from physical, mental, and emotional harm.
Group 8: Is psychology free of value judgments?

____________, because of its nature, often cannot be 100% ________ and ________
because it is extremely difficult to prove most theories.

Psychology deals with ________ ________, and each branch of psychology has a
different way to interpret the causes of the exact same behaviors.

Most other sciences have _________ _____ and ________ that the scientific community
agrees with. Psychology, however, divides itself into branches based on entirely different
____________.

__________ ___________ = __________ ___________ and ________!

We consider psychology to be a ________.

Humans are ________ _________, so there is never a go-to _______ that can explain
why _______ behaves a certain way.

Having so many judgments can help us create a better _____-______ ___________ of
our behavior.

Because of the amount ________ ___________ on why a person acts the way they do,
this creates a huge problem when wanting to deal with patients who have ______
________.

Debate can enrich and enhance ________ ___ ________, but when debate exists for
nearly every topic, it becomes ________.