Research Methods

Experimental Research
Descriptive Methods
Correlational Research
Biological Research
 Step 3- Research Design
The hypothesis must be tested by using the
appropriate research methods

‐ What type of study would best test your hypothesis?

‐ What participants will you use?

‐ What will be the procedure of your study?

The most powerful research method
is the experiment, in which an
experimenter manipulates and
controls the variables to determine
cause and effect.
 Experimental Method
This is the ONLY research design that can
examine a single factor’s effect on a particular
behavior

A study in which the investigator manipulates at

least one variable while measuring at least one
other variable.

‐ Determines a cause and effect relationship between

variables
 Step 3-Designing a Study
Variables are a condition or characteristic that is
subject to change either within situations or individuals

There are two types of variables in every study:

‐ Independent variable:
‐ Factor that is manipulated

‐ Dependent variable:
‐ Behavior/variable that is measured
 Variables

Independent Variable is the variable is

directly and purposefully manipulated by
the experimenter

‐ This is done to see how the other variables will be

affected
 So, what will happen if…?

Dependent Variable is the behavior that is

measured because it is expected to change
due to the manipulation of the independent
variable.

‐ What will happen If I move all of my front row

students to the back, what will happen?
The goal of any experiment is to
learn how the dependent
variable is affected by (depends
on) the independent variable.
 Identify the Variable
Independent and Dependent?

Developmental psychologists want to

know if exposing children to differing
amounts of public television improves
their reading skills.
 Did you get it?
In this study, the amount of public television
is the Independent Variable

The researchers were looking to observe a

change in reading skills, which makes it the
Dependent Variable
 Name the Variables!

A clinical psychologist is interested in

how heart rate is affected by viewing a
violent film as opposed to a nonviolent
film
 Did you get it?
The Independent Variable is this study is
the film type (violent or nonviolent)

The change in heart rate is the behavior

observed which makes it the Dependent
Variable
 Try another one

Cognitive psychologists are interested

in what types of diagrams are easiest
for people to remember
 What are the Variables?
The different types of diagrams are the
Independent Variable

What behavior were the researchers were

observing? Memory, which is the
Dependent Variable
 OK, Last One…
An industrial/organizational psychologist
tests to see if wearing name tags makes
employees happier with their work
 What are the variables?
The name tags are the Independent
Variable

And the observed behavior was

happiness at work, which is the
Dependent Variable
 Step 3-Designing the Study
Who will you study?

Participants in a study are individuals in an

experiment whose behaviors are observed.

‐ This information will produce data

‐ All have something in common which is based

on what the researcher is testing
 Participants are randomly assigned to
one of two groups:

1. The Control Group-(Comparison group)

‐ This group does not receive the independent
variable
‐ It does not receive the treatment

2. The Experimental Group- receives new

treatment
‐ This group “receives” the independent variable
 Descriptive Methods

This research method is used to observe and

record behavior without producing a casual
explanation
 Types of Research

Descriptive Methods involve describing

events that already exist

- -Naturalistic Observation
-Case Study
-Surveys
This research method is used to
observe and record behavior
without producing an
explanation
 Naturalistic Observation
A systematic observation what many people
do under natural conditions, without
interference.
Follow the link below to review a
very famous naturalistic study
performed by David Rosenhan
who pretended to be mentally ill to
gain admission into a psychiatric
hospital
Being Sane in Insane Places, Rosenhan (1973)
 Ask questions…
Surveys are another method of
gathering data from a wide
selection of people

A study of the prevalence of

certain beliefs, attitudes, or
behaviors, based on people’s
responses to specific questions

Unfortunately most surveys rely

on self report and not all
participants are honest!
 Case Study

A thorough description of the unusual

person that relies on naturalistic
observation but focuses on a single person
intensively.

‐ These are well-suited to observe unusual behaviors

or conditions
 Example of a Case Study
Phineas Gage was the foreman of a railway
construction gang. On 13th. September 1848, an
accidental explosion blew his tamping iron through
his head. The tamping iron was 3 ½ feet long and
weighed 13 pounds.  The tamping iron went in point
first under his left cheek bone and completely out
through the top of his head, landing about 25 to 30
yards behind him.  Phineas was knocked over but
may not have lost consciousness even though most of
the front part of the left side of his brain was
destroyed.
 Phineas Gage (1848)…
yes he LIVED!

Read more about Gage…why was he the

focus of a case study?
 Correlational Studies

A procedure in which investigators measure the

correlation between two variables.

‐ Without manipulating or controlling either of them

Correlation: A measure of the strength of a

relationship between two variables.
 Correlational Research

Example-
A researcher may examine whether a toddler’s
aggressiveness is related to the number of hours
spent in day care.
 Correlational coefficient
Correlation indicates the strength and direction of a
relationship. It allows for prediction of one
variable based on the other variable.

The strength of the relationship is measured by a

correlation coefficient which ranges from +1 to -1

‐ +1 – perfect positive correlation

‐ 0 – no correlation
‐ -1 – perfect negative correlation
 Three Types of Correlation

In a positive correlation, the two factors move (or vary) in the same
direction.

In a negative correlation, the two factors vary in opposite directions—

that is, as one factor increases, the other factor decreases.

Sometimes there is no relationship between two variables—a zero

correlation.
 Did you get it?
Let’s play Name that
Correlation!
Answer the following questions by
identifying the correlation…either
positive, negative or none
As a child’s age increases so does
her height

Be able to justify this answer!

As a child’s age increases so
does her height

Positive correlation!
Both variables are moving in the
same direction
 The more time a person
spends on a treadmill the less
they weigh

Be able to justify your answer!

 The more time a person
spends on a treadmill the less
they weigh
Negative correlation
The variables move in opposite
directions
 The amount of time a college
student studies and their height in
inches

Be able to justify your answer!

 The amount of time a college
student studies and their height in
inches

No correlation exists
 “Correlation is not causation!”

Just because there is a correlation between

tow variables does not mean that one variable
causes another.
What happens after the study is
completed and the data is
examined?

It is time to draw a conclusion

“Was I right?”
 Was my prediction correct?

Researchers draw conclusions about the results

of the study. Did the information support or
oppose their hypothesis?

Don’t forget…this information MUST be

replicated to be accepted as valid.
 What happens to the information
yielded in study?

If the information produced in a study supports

the original hypothesis it is published in the
scientific community in peer-reviewed
journals.

This information is what we read about in

textbooks and articles. This process allows
researchers to generate NEW knowledge!
 Ethics in Research

Could the results of a study be BIASED?

A good scientific experiment also
protects against potential sources
of error from both the researcher
and the participants

Ethnocentrism and sample bias can result in

flawed data and invalid results in the study
 Avoiding Bias in Research

Absolutely, YES it is possible to bias a

research study. To avoid biased
information, researchers must follow the
rules developed by the APA.
 Ethics in Research

Ethics are the rules concerning proper and

acceptable conduct that investigators use to
guide their research

‐ These rules govern the treatment of animals,

humans, and the responsibilities of investigators
Participants must be informed

One rule states human participants must give

the researcher their informed consent before a
study.

Participants must be advised about the

purpose and conditions of the study- up front.
 Ethics in Research
Participants cannot be coerced into doing
something psychologically or physically
harmful, or that violates standards of decency

At the end of the study, participants must go

through debriefing
Why do researchers have these rules?

History of controversial psychological

experiments that would now be considered
UNETHICAL.

Examples:

‐ Phillip Zimbardo-The Stanford Prison Study

‐ Stanley Milgram- The Perils of Obedience

Watch the follow clip and think
about why this experiment
violates ethical standards of the
APA
Milgram-Perils of Obedience
 Review the following clip and
think about how this experiment
violates ethics in psychology

Why was this study unethical?

Stanford Prison Study
 Next Module…
Biopsychology

‐ How is the nervous system organized?

‐ How do “brain chemicals” influence our behavior?