Angeli Joy D.

Brila ITTM 3-1

1. Identify the different research methods used in psychology. What are the methods used? Give examples. 1.Naturalistic Observation Definition: participants are carefully observed in their natural setting without interference by the researchers. Researchers should be inconspicuous and do nothing to change the environment or behavior of the participants. Examples: (a) an anthropologist unobtrusively observing wild gorillas (b) a researcher sitting in a fast food restaurant and observing the eating habits of men vs. women This method is good if a researcher wants participants to be reacting normally but it can be time consuming, the "sought-after" behavior may never occur, there is no control over the environment (e.g., fast food restaurant runs out of fries), and it is difficult to know if the researcher will be able to be completely unobtrusive.

2. Survey Method Definition: questioning a large group of people about their attitudes, beliefs, etc. Conducting a survey requires a representative sample, or a sample that reflects all major characteristics of the population you want to represent. If you are attempting to survey "America's attitude towards exercising", then your sample cannot include

only caucasian, upper-class college students between the ages of 18 and 22 years. This does not represent America. Surveys must also use careful wording in the questions to prevent confusion or bias. Examples: (a) survey of recent retired citizens on their major concerns about life without work (b) survey of first-time pregnant women on their beliefs about their efficacy on being a mother This method is very quick and efficient; however it is sometimes difficult to gain in-depth knowledge from a survey and there is no guarantee that the person taking the survey is being open and honest. 3. Case Study Definition: obtaining detailed information about an individual to develop general principles about behavior. It is sometimes very helpful to study one person (or a very small group of people) in great depth to learn as much information as possible. This method is particularly useful in studying rare disorders or circumstances. Examples: (a) studying the life history of a man who acquired schizophrenia at the age of 20 (b) following one child from conception to adulthood to examine this specific lifespan development Case studies require a lot of time, effot, and attention to detail. Yet, they reveal more about a particular subject than any other research method. Generalizing the findings to other people or groups is usually difficult. 4. Correlational Design Definition: measuring the relation between two variables. Sometimes correlation studies are seen as a separate research method while other times it is subsumed under another category.

Correlations are stated as either positive or negative. Positive correlations mean that as the value of one variable goes up, the value of the other variable goes up (or, vice versa: as one goes down, the other goes down) Negative correlations mean that as the value of one variable goes up, the value of the other variable goes down. See the examples below for further clarification. Examples: (a) there exists a positive correlation between intelligence and grade point average such that the more intelligent a person is, the higher their grade point average (b) there exists a negative correlation between eating junk food and overall health such that the more junk food a person ingests, the less they are healthier CORRELATION DOES NOT MEAN CAUSATION. The most a reseacher can state about 2 variables that correlate is that they relate to one another. There is no test of cause-effect. In the second example above, it might be tempting to assume that consumption of junk food causes a decline in health. However, it is conceivable that the less healthy one is and feels, the more likely it is they'll give up on trying to be healthy and eat junk food. We do not know the direction of influence (eating junk food leads to poor health or poor health leads to eating junk food) and cannot know using a correlation alone. This is one limitation to this method. Correlations can be deceiving. Finding a significant correlation between 2 variables does not guarantee that they are the only 2 variables. There may be an intervening variable that wasn't measured. Consider the first example above: perhaps the more intelligent a person is, the more likely they are to study for tests, which then translates into a higher grade point average. "Studying for tests" is a potential intervening variable that was not examined. 5. Experimental Method Definition: a study in which the investigator manipulates (at least) one variable while measuring (at least) one other variable

This method is often used in psychological research and can potentionally lead to answering cause-effect questions. Examples: (a) Testing the effects of ritalin medication on the attention spans of children with ADHD (b) Examining the reliability of eyewitness testimony in young children Participants in an experiment are usually randomly assigned to different groups. The group that receives the independent variable is called the experimental group and the group of participants are treated in the same manner as the experimental group but do not receive the independent variable is called the control group. Sometimes a preexisting characteristic already exists in the participants, such as sex, age, clinical diagnosis, etc. In this case, there is no random assignment and the type of research is referred to as differential research. The experimental method is very valuable because the researcher is able to constrain or control the situation and various variables. 2. Include one recent development in the field of psychology from news, research journals etc. Do you think that psychology contributed to the advancement of modern life today? Why Older People Struggle to Read Fine Print: It's Not What You Think (Nov. 22, 2012) - Psychologists from the University of Leicester have carried out unique eye tests to examine reading styles in young and old people -- and discovered for the first time that the way we read words changes as we grow older. The team from the School of Psychology used an innovative method of digitally manipulating text combined with precise measures of readers' eye movements. This provides novel insights into how young and older adults use different visual cues during reading. Their results have been published in the journal Psychology and Aging. The researchers conducted experiments that used very precise measures of readers' eye movements to assess how well they read lines of text that had been digitally manipulated to enhance the salience of different visual information. For instance,

sometimes the text was blurred and other times the features of the individual letters were sharply defined. The results showed that whereas young adults (18-30 years) found it easiest to read lines of text when the fine visual detail was present, this was more difficult for older adults (65+years), who found it easier to read more blurred text. These findings support the view that older adults use a different reading strategy from younger adults and that they rely more than young adults on holistic cues to the identities of words, such as word shape. The research makes an important contribution to understanding why older people have difficulty in reading. The findings will promote further work to more fully understand this difficulty and already points to ways in which it can be combatted. Dr Kevin Paterson, from the University of Leicester, said: "The findings showed that the difficulty older readers often experience is likely to be related to a progressive decline in visual sensitivity, particularly for visual detail, due to optical changes and changes in neural transmission even in individuals with apparently normal vision. "However, the findings also showed that older readers comprehended text just as accurately as younger readers. Consequently, although normal aging clearly leads to important changes in reading behaviour, it seems that adaptive responses to the changing nature of the visual input may help older adults to read and understand text efficiently well into later life." The research study aimed to understand how changes that take place in the eye and brain as a result of the normal aging process affect reading. Dr Paterson said: "As we get older, we lose visual sensitivity, particularly to fine visual detail, due to changes in the eye and changes in neural transmission. This loss of visual sensitivity is found even in individuals with apparently normal vision and is not corrected by optical aids, such as glasses or contact lenses. However, it is likely to have consequences for reading. "The ability to read effectively is fundamental to participation in modern society, and the challenge age-related visual impairment presents to meeting everyday demands of living, working and citizenship is a matter of concern. The difficulty older adults have in reading is an important contributing factor to social exclusion. The RNIB has identified

age-related reading difficulty amongst the over 65s as highly detrimental to quality of life and a barrier to employment. "The fact that people have greater difficulty in reading as they get older limits their ability to engage in everyday activities (e.g., reading the newspaper, a utility bill, or the instructions on a medicine bottle), to continue to work, to read for leisure, to access education and knowledge, and to interact with others. Being able to understand the causes of this reading difficulty is an important first step to identifying ways to combat it. "With an aging population and a rising retirement age, it is clear such problems pose serious economic and social challenges for the future. Consequently, research on this topic is likely to become increasingly important and both understanding and combatting age-related visual impairment will be important for reducing social exclusion in the elderly. This, and other on-going research, is funded by The Ulverscroft Foundation and an Economic Research Foundation Professorial Fellowship to Professor Tim Jordan and a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship to Kevin Paterson. Vicky McGowan, who is now a PhD student in the School of Psychology, was also a member of the project team. Psychology contributed to the advancement of modern life today. From the very definition itself it is about the study of behavior and mental processes. Because of the studies made about such things, we are able to understand different people and their behaviors. It led us to making better decision and improving life. There are also a lot of studies done regarding different mental illnesses. We learned from previous researches things that helped in curing and preventing such kind of sicknesses. References: http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/researchmethods.html http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122095305.htm