Chapter 2

Psychology’s Scientific Method

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Chapter Preview

 Psychology and the Scientific Method

 Research Settings and Methods
 Data Analysis and Interpretation
 Challenges: Research Ethics and Bias
 Application: Health and Wellness

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

What Makes
Psychology a Science?
 Scientific Approach
 Curiosity
 Skepticism
 Objectiveness
 Thinking critically
 Collaboration
 Peer-reviewed research
 Meta-analyses

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The Scientific Attitude

 Curiosity

 Skepticism

 Objectivity

 Thinking Critically
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Collaboration

 Peer Review

 Publication

 Research/Scholarly Journals

 Meta-Analysis
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The Scientific Theory

 What is a Theory?

 What is a Scientific Theory?

 Broad idea or set of closely related ideas
 Attempts to explain observations
 Makes predictions about future events
 Connects observations and research

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Scientific Method: Observation

 Operational Definitions

 Objective description of variables

 How will variables be measured?

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Scientific Method: Hypothesis

Formulate Hypothesis

 Testable prediction

 Derived from theory

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Scientific Method: Research
 Collect Data
 Select participants
 Population – entire group of interest
 Sample – subset of population
 Random sampling
 Design Study / Select Research Method
 Analyze Data
 Data – all information collected in a study
 Use statistical procedures to understand data

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Scientific Method: Conclusions

 What do the results mean?

 Statistical data analysis

 Replication of results (reliability)

 Revise theory?
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Research: Terms & Settings

 What?
 Variable – anything that varies
 Where?
 “Artificial” world – laboratory setting
 Advantages and disadvantages?
 Real world - natural setting
 Advantages and disadvantages?

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Descriptive Research

Goal: Observe and Record Behavior

 Naturalistic observation
 Surveys and interviews
 Standardized tests
 Case studies

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Correlational Research
Goal: Identify Relationships

 Correlation coefficient: r
-1.00 ≤ r ≤ 1.00

 Strength of relationship: #

 Direction of relationship: + / -

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Correlation Coefficients

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Scatter Plots

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Correlational Research

 Positive Correlations
 Factors vary in same direction
 ↑ and ↑ … or … ↓ and ↓

 Negative Correlations
 Factors vary in opposite direction
 ↑ and ↓ … or … ↑ and ↓

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Correlation and Causation

 Correlation does not equal causation

 Third Variable Problem
 Multivariate approach
 Longitudinal design
 Advantages and Disadvantages of
Correlational Research

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Experimental Research

Goal: Determine Causation

 Random Sampling and Assignment

 Independent Variable(s) – Manipulation

 Dependent Variable(s) – Measurement

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Experimental Research

 Experimental Group
 Receives IV manipulation

 Control Group
 Treated equally, but no IV manipulation

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Psychology’s
Research Methods

Insert figure 2.4 here

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Validity

 Ecological validity
 Representative of real world issues?
 Do results generalize to the real world?

 Internal validity
 Are DV changes the result of IV manipulation?
 Bias? Logical errors?

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Bias and Expectations

 Experimenter Bias

 Research Participant Bias

 Placebo Effect

 Double-Blind Experiment
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Intersection: TMT Theory

 Ernest Becker – human life and culture

 Terror Management Theory (TMT)
 Death “awareness” leads to worldview defense
 Empirical Support
 Rosenblatt and others (1989)
 Landau and colleagues (2004)
 Routledge and others (2004)

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Analyzing and Interpreting Data

 Statistics
Mathematical methods used to report data
 Descriptive Statistics
 Describe and summarize data
 Inferential Statistics
 Draw conclusions about data

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Descriptive Statistics

 Measures of Central Tendency

 Mean
 Median
 Mode

 Measures of Dispersion
 Range
 Standard deviation

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Inferential Statistics

 Does data confirm the hypothesis?

 Statistical significance

 α = 0.05 (confidence level)

 Significance vs. meaningfulness

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Research Ethics

 Research participants have rights!

 Institutional Review Board (IRB)
 APA Guidelines
1. Informed consent
2. Confidentiality
3. Debriefing
4. Deception

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Animal Research in Psychology

 Animal Research and Human Problems

 Prevalence of Animal Research
 Animals Rights and Welfare
 Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committees (IACUC)

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Minimizing Bias in Research

 Gender Bias
 Research historically focused on males
 Cultural and Ethnic Bias
 Research historically focused on middle-
socioeconomic-status European Americans
 Overgeneralizations about ethnic groups
 Currently research emphasizes diversity:
gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status
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A Wise Consumer…

… is skeptical yet open-minded!

Cautions
 Distinguish between group results and individual

needs
 Avoid overgeneralizing results

 Look for converging evidence

 Question causal inferences

 Consider the source

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Application: Happiness

 The Science of Happiness

 Subjective Well-Being
 Happiness ↔ Life Success
 Challenges to Becoming Happier
 The hedonic treadmill
 The pursuit of happiness

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Chapter Summary
 Explain what makes psychology a science.
 Discuss common research settings and the three main types
of research that are used in psychology.
 Distinguish between descriptive statistics and inferential
statistics.
 Discuss some challenges that involve ethics, bias, and
information.
 Discuss scientific studies on human happiness and the
nature of their findings.

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Chapter Summary

 The scientific method is marked by

 Curiosity, skepticism, objectiveness, and
critical thinking

 Research settings and methods

 Descriptive, correlational, and experimental
studies conducted in natural settings or the lab

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Chapter Summary

 Data analysis and interpretation

 Descriptive and inferential statistics

 Challenges: Research Ethics and Bias

 APA guidelines and the IRB

 Application: Health and Wellness

 The scientific study of happiness

© 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.