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Methods in Studying Psychology

This document discusses various methods used in psychological research, including experiments, surveys, observation, and testing. It covers the typical steps psychologists follow in conducting research such as forming a research question and hypothesis, testing the hypothesis through experiments or other methods, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions. Key aspects of experiments are discussed like using control and experimental groups, variables, blind studies, and placebos. Ethical guidelines for psychological research involving people are also summarized.

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177 views

Methods in Studying Psychology

This document discusses various methods used in psychological research, including experiments, surveys, observation, and testing. It covers the typical steps psychologists follow in conducting research such as forming a research question and hypothesis, testing the hypothesis through experiments or other methods, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions. Key aspects of experiments are discussed like using control and experimental groups, variables, blind studies, and placebos. Ethical guidelines for psychological research involving people are also summarized.

Uploaded by

vlabrague6426
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Methods in Studying

Psychology

Conducting Psychological
Research
Psychology is an
experimental science and
uses evidence to support
is theories and principles
Most psychologists follow
a general procedure when
conducting research
Form a research question
Form a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis
Analyze the results of the
test
Draw a conclusion

Forming a Research Question


The best research
questions focus on
behavior, but many come
from psychological theory
Some come from folklore
or traditional thought
Behavior question what
do male lions do to assert
their dominance?
Psychological theory
question what effect
does watching violence
on TV have on viewers?
Traditional thought
question Do opposites
attract?

Form a
Hypothesis
This is an educated guess
that can be tested for
accuracy by conducting
research
Some psychologists form
if-then hypotheses
If most consumers like the
color blue, then they will be
more likely to buy products
with blue packaging

Any existing information


should be used when
making the hypothesis

Testing the Hypothesis


Psychologists need to
prove that their
hypotheses are correct
(or incorrect) through
scientific tests
They usually will perform
experiments and collect
all relevant data
The experiments need to
be designed so they can
be repeated by others

Analyzing the Results

During this stage, psychologists ask what their findings mean


Most experiments produce a lot of data, so this step can be very
complex and take a lot of time
Psychologists try to find patterns and relationships in the data
They have to determine which data support the hypothesis and
which data do not

Drawing Conclusions
Psychologists form
conclusions by seeing if
their observations support
their hypotheses
They need to keep an open
mind and be willing to
adjust or modify their
hypotheses depending on
their findings
Sometimes a different
experiment is needed to
prove that a hypothesis is
correct

Replication
People need to be able to
reproduce an experiment
and get the same results
to prove that the
experiment and its
conclusion are correct
If an experiment is
replicated but it produces
different results, then the
findings of the first study
are questioned
This requires even more
experimenting

Further Questions
Findings from experiments often produce new
questions and the need for new experiments
The scientific process starts over for each
new question

Surveys

The Survey Method


Psychologists use surveys
to gather information by
asking people a series of
question about a particular
subject
This can be done through
an oral interview or with a
written questionnaire
Then they compile the
data and analyze it to
draw conclusions

Problems with Surveys


Some respondents lie
They may be afraid their
responses will not remain
confidential
Some people try to
please the interviewers
by giving answers they
think will help the
experiment
Some may not want the
interviewers to know
unflattering information
about them

Populations and Samples


You want to make sure you
give a survey to the target
population
The target population is the
whole group you intend to
study or describe
You do not want to give a
survey about voting habits to
people under the age of 18
they cant vote!

Sometimes your target


population may be really
large, so you can give a
survey to a sample
A sample is only a part of
the target population

How to Select a Sample

The sample should be an


accurate representation of the
target population
Random Sample individuals
are elected by chance from the
target population; everyone has
an equal chance of being
chosen
Stratified Sample - individuals
from subgroups within the
target population are
represented proportionally
Example: US voting population
by gender Males: 54%
Females 46%
Stratified sample population
1000 people, 540 males and
460 females

Generalizing Survey
Results
Sometimes psychologists

cannot get a random or


stratified sample, so they
must be cautious about
generalizing their findings
to any group other than
their specific sample
If you conduct a survey
about all-time greatest
songs, but you only give
the survey to white
females over 50, then the
results do not represent
many other groups in the
total population

Volunteer Bias
When conducting a
survey, you cannot force
people to participate
The people who are
willing to volunteer for a
survey have a different
outlook from those who
refuse to participate
they have volunteer bias
Bias a predisposition to a
certain point of view
Volunteers for surveys tend
to be more open about
personal subjects and may
not represent the total
population

Methods of Observation

Testing
Psychologists use
psychological tests to
learn more about
human behavior
Intelligence tests
measure learning ability
Personality tests
measure peoples
character traits and
development
They can also be used
to diagnose mental
illnesses

Case Studies

A case study is an indepth investigation of an


individual or small group
Researchers may
interview them as well as
family, friends, and peers
to find out more about
their backgrounds and
histories
Some of the findings
from case studies can be
applied to the larger
population while others
focus on rare
circumstances or events
Psychologists have to be
careful about making
generalizations from case
studies Why?

Longitudinal Studies
Take place over a long
period so psychologists
can see how people
develop and change
over a long period of
time
Observations are
conducted a set
intervals (once a year,
once every six months)
They are very timeconsuming, expensive,
and risky Why?

Cross-sectional Studies
These studies avoid
some of the problems
seen in longitudinal
studies
Instead of following a
set of individuals over a
long time, psychologists
select a sample that
includes people from
different age groups
This method is not as
accurate as a
longitudinal study
Why?

Naturalistic Observation
Method
Also called field
observation
Psychologists collect data
by observing people or
animals in their natural
habitats or surroundings
They do not interfere with
the people they are
observing they just
watch and record data
They may go to a
restaurant to observe the
eating habits of slender
people and heavy people

Laboratory Observation
Method

Psychologists use this method when they cannot conduct their


study in a natural setting
They use laboratory observations so they can control aspects of
the environment, such as noise, lighting, or distractions
Their findings, however, cannot be replicated in the natural world

Analyzing Observations
Many psychologists look for
correlations in the data
Correlation a measure of
how closely one thing is related
to another
Ex: there is a strong correlation
between good lung capacity
and regular exercise

Positive Correlation as
one thing goes up, so does
another
Ex: achievement and annual
salaries

Negative Correlation as
one thing goes up, the
other goes down
Ex: grades and discipline
problems

Correlations just describe


relationships, but do not
provide information about their
cause or effect

Psycholog
y
Experimen
ts

Variables

In an experiment, researchers give


participants treatments (changing
room temperature, light levels, or
giving them a new drug), and
observe them to see how the
treatment influences their behavior
Variables factors that can vary or
change
Independent variable
researchers can change this factor to
determine its effect
Dependent variable changes to
this factor depend on the
independent variable

Identify the independent and


dependent variable in the
following experiment : Researchers
conduct a study to find a correlation
between amount of sleep and levels
of irritability

Groups
Experimental Group its members receive the treatment
Control Group its members do not receive treatment
All environmental conditions, except for the treatment, are the
same for both groups
Using a control group allows psychologists to conclude that the
treatment, not some other factor, caused specific behaviors to
occur
Used often when testing new medications

The Placebo Effect


Placebo a substance or
treatment that has no
effect other than a
persons belief in it
Ex: a person with a
headache is given a tablet
that appears to be a pain
reliever but has no
medicinal value
The person might begin to
feel better, even though the
tablet has no medicine,
because he thinks it
contained medicine

Blind Studies
Blind studies are conducted to
help prevent bias or the
placebo effect from
interfering with the
experiments
Single-blind study:
participants do not know if
they are in the experimental
group or the control group
Double-blind study: the
participants and the
experimenters do not know
who is in the experimental
group or the control group
Required by the FDA for all
new drugs

and
Psycholog
ical
Experime
nts

Ethics
Ethics are standards for
proper and responsible
behavior
Psychologists have to
follow specific ethical
guidelines that prevent
them from conducting
experiments that could
harm participants
One main goal of
psychology is to lessen
human suffering, not to
help it occur

Research with People


Studies must be
designed so they do
not cause harm to
humans
Psychologists can
alter their study to
collect information
about more
controversial topics
by changing its focus

3 Big Rules
Confidentiality the records of participants and clients are
kept private
People are more likely to provide true information if they
know it will remain confidential
Informed consent people must agree to participate in a study
after they have been given a general overview of the
experiment and then given a choice of whether to participate
Deception psychologists may only use deception under
certain circumstances
When they believe the benefits of the research outweigh its
potential harm
When they believe individuals would agree to participate if they
had understood the benefits of the research
When participants receive an explanation of the experiment after
its conclusion

Animal Research
Psychologists sometimes
perform research that is
harmful to animals, often
when the research cannot
be conducted on humans
for ethical reasons
They only use animals in
research when there is no
alternative and the
benefits of the research
outweigh the harm
This is a very
controversial subject in
psychology today

Ethics and Data


Psychologists must
follow strict rules that
dictate how to
produce, store, and
interpret data
They must be as
objective as possible in
every aspect of
research and they must
be willing to present
all data and findings
honestly

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