Research Methods in Psychology

DEFINITIONS:

Hypothesis: An educated speculation as to the relationship between the variables that you are interested in investigating. This is typically based on previous research, not just a random guess. The importance of a hypothesis is that it be a testable question, not just a concept of a question, but an actual definition and planned assessment.

Operational Definitions: This is the scientific definition that you must create for all of the variables that you are interested in studying. An operational definition is specific, concrete, reliable, and repeatable in different hands. The operational definitions are often incorporated into the hypothesis so that the testable question is very concrete and easy to understand. The importance of an operational definition is the replication of this experiment by other people. If the variables are not well defined, or are loosely defined, then someone else may use a slightly different description, think they are conducting the same study, but get completely different results.

Research Methods

Descriptive Methods: (there is no control over the setting or variables recorded):

Naturalistic Observation - Watch and record the behavior of interest in a natural setting with NO interaction

Case Studies - Extensive examination of behavior of interest in an individual or small group (who typically have experienced something rare or uncommon)

Surveys - Use interviews or questionnaires to find out about behaviors, attitudes, opinions of a sample group that is representative of the entire population you wish to study

Correlations - Determines whether or not 2 variables vary in a systematic way, assesses the relationship between them

Controlled studies:

Experiment - Situations in which the researcher gathers participants, randomly assigns them to various groups, manipulates a chosen variable within those groups and records the effects on another variable

Independent Variable – what the experimenter controls

Dependent Variable – what the experimenter measures

Random Assignment – all participants are randomly placed in “groups”

Control group - receives the standard IV

Experimental group(s) - receives the manipulation of the IV

Quasi-Experiment – All of the same control as the experiment, but the “groups” define themselves (i.e. – heroin users vs. non-users, pregnant women vs. not pregnant women, etc.)