Research Methods in Psychology

I. Deduction versus Induction

A. Deduction: the process of reasoning in which a conclusion
follows necessarily from the stated premises.
B. Induction: the process of inferring a general principle from
observations.

II. Scientific Theory

A. Theory: an explanation or model created from a great
many observations and capable of making valid predictions or
hypotheses.

B. Falsifiable: stated in such clear, precise terms that we can

see what evidence would count against it.
C. Burden of Proof: the obligation to present evidence to
support one’s claim.
III. Scientific Method: the way in which
scientists go about investigating and making
claims about phenomena.
A. Hypothesis: a tentative explanation for an observation that
can be tested through research.
B. Method: the process by which you test your hypothesis.

C. Results: the recorded outcome of the method.

D. Interpretation: your evaluation of the results.

E. Replicability: the ability for other people to replicate

previous results through further experimentation using the
same procedures.
F. Meta-Analysis: an analysis that combines the results from
many studies and then analyzes them as if they were all from
one large study.

G. Occam’s Razor: the explanation that’s most simple is usually

the most accurate.

1) Aliens!

2) ESP!
IV. Conducting Psychological Research

A. Operational Definitions: a definition that specifies the

procedures used to produce or measure something.

B. Population: the entire group of people to be considered.

C. Sample: a small number of people taken from

the population.
1) Convenience Sample: a sample that can include anyone.

2) Representative Sample: a sample that closely resembles the

population you are studying.

3) Random sample: each member of the population has an equal

chance of being selected for the sample.
V. Eliminating the Influence of Expectations
A. Experimenter Bias: the tendency of an experimenter to
distort or misperceive the results of an experiment based on
the expected outcome.
B. Blind Observer: someone who can record data without
knowing the experimenter’s expected outcome.
C. Placebo: a pill with no pharmacological effects.

D. Single-Blind Study: either the observer or the participants

are unaware of which participants received which treatment.
E. Double-Blind Study: both the observer and the participants
are unaware of who’s in what condition.
F. Demand Characteristics: cues that tell a participant what is
expected of him or her, what will happen to him or her, and what
the experimenter hopes to find.
VI. Forms of Data Collection
A. Laboratory Observation: behavior is observed and
recorded in a controlled environment.

B. Naturalistic Observation: a careful examination of what

happens under more or less natural conditions.

C. Case History: a thorough description of the person, including

the person’s abilities and disabilities, medical conditions, life
history, unusual experiences, or whatever else seems relevant.

D. Survey: a study of the prevalence of certain beliefs, attitudes,

or behaviors based on people’s responses to specific questions.
1) Sampling… doing this correctly is really important with surveys.
2) Survey Scales… Likert versus VAS
VII. Correlational Studies
A. Correlation: a measure of the relationship between 2
variables.

B. Correlational Study: a procedure in which investigators

measure the correlation between 2 variables without controlling
for either of them.

C. Correlation Coefficient: a mathematical estimate of the

relationship between 2 variables. The range is –1 to +1.

D. Illusory Correlation: an apparent relationship based on

casual observations of unrelated or weakly related events.
E. Meaningless Correlation… it’s meaningless.

F. Correlation vs. Causation… just because two variables

are correlated doesn’t mean that one causes the other.
VIII. Causation
A. Experiment: a study in which the investigator manipulates at
least one variable while measuring at least one other variable.

B. Independent Variable: the item that the experimenter

manipulates to get an effect.

C. Dependent Variable: the item that the experimenter

measures to see if the independent variable had an effect.
D. Experimental Group: group that receives the treatment
(Independent Variable) that an experiment is designed to test.

E. Control Group: group that is treated just like the

experimental group, but does not receive the treatment.

F. Random Assignment: experimenter uses some random

process of assigning people to each group.
IX. Other Factors
A. Ethical Concerns with Humans: experimenters must be
careful that the designs of the their studies do not harm
participants mentally, emotionally, or physically.

B. Ethical Concerns with Non-Humans: the same concerns

as with humans, but more lenient.

C. Informed Consent: a statement informing participants what

to expect in an experiment and that requires their acceptance
of the procedures.

D. Debriefing: an important post-experiment interview between

experimenters and participants verifying that participants are
fully informed about, and were not harmed in any way by, their
experience in an experiment.