Chapter 2: Research Methodology
Chapter Review
What Is Scientific Inquiry?
1. Scientific questions can be objectively answered: Scientific inquiry relies on objective methods and empirical evidence to answer testable questions.
2. The empirical process depends on theories, hypotheses, and research: Interconnected ideas or models of behavior (theories) yield testable predictions (hypotheses), which are tested in a systematic way (research) by collecting and evaluating evidence (data). Unexpected (serendipitous) discoveries sometimes occur.
What Are the Types of Studies in Psychological Research?
3. An experiment involves manipulating conditions: In experiments, researchers control the variations in the conditions that the participant experiences (independent variables) and measure the outcomes (dependent variables), which lead to an understanding of causality.
4. Correlational designs examine how variables are related: Correlational studies are used to examine how variables are naturally related in the real world but cannot be used to establish causality or the direction of the relationship. 5. Descriptive studies observe and classify behavior: Researchers observe and describe naturally occurring behaviors in order to provide a systematic and objective analysis.
What Are the Data-Collection Methods of Psychological Science?
6. Observing is an unobtrusive technique: Data collected by observation must be clearly defined and systematically collected. Bias in the data may occur because the participant is aware they are being observed or because of the expectations of the observer.
7. Asking takes a more active approach: Using surveys, questionnaires, and interviews, we can directly ask people about their thoughts and behaviors. These self-report data may be biased by the respondents' needs to present themselves in a particular way.
8. Case studies examine individual lives: An intensive examination of an individual is useful for examining unusual participants and research questions. But interpretation of case studies can be subjective.
9. Response performance measures stimulus processing: Measuring reaction times and accuracy, and asking people to make stimulus judgments are methods used to examine how people respond to psychological tasks.
10. Body and brain activity can be directly measured: Electrophysiology (EEG and ERP) measures the brain's electrical activity. Brain imaging is done using positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
11. Research with animals provides important data: Animal research provides useful, albeit simpler, models of behavior and genetics.
12. There are ethical issues to consider: Ethical research is governed by a variety of principles, which ensures fair and informed treatment of participants.
How Are Data Analyzed and Evaluated?
13. Good research requires valid, reliable, and accurate data: Data must be meaningful (valid) and its measurement consistent and stable (reliable) and accurate.
14. Descriptive statistics provide a summary: Measures of central tendency and variability are used to describe data.
15. Correlations describe the relationship between variables: A correlation is a descriptive statistic that describes the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables.
16. Inferential statistics predict chance results: Inferential statistics evaluate the variability and difference between sets of data to determine if they are due to chance or truly represent real change.
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