From my observations, I would describe Simoncini as old, bald and cantankerous.

1. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Hello. I am a typical scientist. Can anyone tell me what psychologists seek to do—you know, what are the goals of psychology? We psychologists predict what people will think or feel in various situations. So. . . If Simoncini does not get therapy, he may go off the deep end and dye what is left of his hair blonde. I need to control his behavior in helpful ways; so I will advise him to get cognitive behavioral therapy and accept his middle age woes. Describe From my observations, I would describe Simoncini as old, bald and cantankerous. Explain He is cantankerous because he is old, bald and ugly. Predict Influence

2. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics In doing their jobs, to ensure accuracy, psychologists use the scientific method. Question A hypothesis is an educated guess. It is a researcher’s prediction about the expected results of a study. Hypothesis A theory is usually a complex explanation based on findings from many experiments. Experiment Results Theory Conclusions

3. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics The first type of research we shall discuss is the experiment. The experiment is the most powerful analytic tool used in science. Cause-and-effect relationships can be established only through the use of well- controlled experiments.

4. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics We shall now discuss variables. What are they? Conditions and behaviors that are subject to change. Independent Variable Experimenters manipulate so they can observe its effects. Dependent Variable A variable that researchers believe will be affected by the independent variable.

5. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Here are examples of independent and dependent variables that I used in the previously-discussed psychology experiment I did back when I had this goatee. The attention experiment Independent variable: the television Experimental group: on Control group: off Dependent variable: the story I read to the two classes Never read the same way twice, no matter how hard you try

6. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Control group Not exposed to the independent variable Experimental group Exposed to the inde-pendent variable. Necessary in all experiments

7. Standard Line Comparison Lines Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Solomon Asch’s Experiment Conformity Experiment Subject asked to match one of three lines to a “standard line;” the answer was obvious

8. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics When I did my research, I used several techniques. We shall cover some of those techniques in this class. B. F. Skinner Validity Is the data valid?Does Tiger Woods really drive Buicks?

9. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Designing Psychological experiments Basic inquiry (Question) Hypothesis Establish variables Independent, dependent, extraneous Extraneous (confounding): anything that differs between the control & experimental group besides the independent variable Ensure you have controls Select your samples Begin the experiment

10. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Samples Disclaimer: note most “blondes” in the below photo are, in reality, fake blondes. Test a relatively small group of the population. “What do Mustang J. V. cheerleaders think about. . .” Representative— avoid bias Note: random sampling means that all members of the population have an equal chance of being selected Random selection Deliberate selection Sample only blondes Every third cheerleader

11. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Correlational Studies Oh, I see: all politicians wear suits. Hey! I’m a queen and they are presidents. We are the same!!! Relationship between two sets of observations. She’s skinny. . . But HOT!!! Can she be my intern??? For a blonde, that is a brilliant insight. Correlation Republican/Democrat = politicians

12. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Surveys Most practical way to gather data on the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of large numbers of people. Interviews, questionnaires, combination

13. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Surveys Question: What is the best technique for teaching high school students? Hypothesis: Simoncini’s technique is the best Questionnaire 10-20 respondents Demographic section Proof questions section

14. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Questionnaire Demographics Gender: Male Female Age/year in school: 9 10 11 12 Ethnic background: Latino, Afr. Am, Cauc, Asian, Other Classes taught by Simoncini: 1 2 3 Cum. GPA <2.0 2.0-3.0 3.1-4.0 >4.0 Simoncini’s teaching method is boring. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree

15. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Simoncini truly cares about his students. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree Simoncini has a strong knowledge of the courses he teaches. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree Simoncini has no control over his students. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree Simoncini should be “put out to pasture.” Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree

16. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Naturalistic Observation Circumstances in which the subjects of the experiment are not conscious that they are part of an experiment. Case study (history)-- Scientific biography of an individual or group.

17. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Here is a homework project. • Engage in a naturalistic observation • activity. • 2. Spend 15-30 minutes in some type • of eating venue (cafeteria, fast food • restaurant, fancy eatery, or family meal.) • 3. Be as unobtrusive as possible. • 4. Record the various types of behavior demonstrated by the people you observe. Simoncini is such a jerk! May the fleas of 1000 camels be in his underwear for a year!

18. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Longitudinal studies Study the same group at regular intervals over a period of years to determine if their behavior or feelings have changed and, if so, how. Example: study the members of the OHS soccer team every 2 years until 2030 to determine if their unruliness continues.

19. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Cross-Sectional Studies People are organized into groups that are cross- sections of the population. Then the groups are randomly sampled and the members of each group are surveyed, tested, or observed simultaneously. Example: age cross-sections Middle-Aged Teenagers Young Adults Elderly

20. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Cohort-sequential study—better data Take a cross section of the population, then follow each cohort or group for a short period. Less susceptible to bias; more accurate data

21. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics There are always potential pitfalls in research—pitfalls that you must try to avoid. Self-fulfilling prophecies Sometimes yourexpectationsabout the results of an experiment areso great, that you might inadvertently do things thatskew the results. Doh!

22. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Two types of experimentsused to avoid self-fulfilling prophesiesare single-blind and double blind experiments. Single-blind: participants are unaware of whichparticipants received the treatment and which ones received the placebo. Double-blind: neither the experimenter nor the participants know which participants received the treatment.

23. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics No problem! We professors like serious students. Here is the Ethics Cascade 1. Who should decide what is morally justifiable in the conduct of research? 2.Are controlled research studies ever necessary or appropriate? 3. Should all research have a foreseeable practical benefit? 4. At whom should research be directed? 5. What specific topics are worthy of research? 6. What particular research metho- dologies are scientifically valid, as well as ethically appropriate? 7. Of the valid methods, which should be used?

24. Social Psychology Theodore Newcomb and the Bennington College experiment Can norms of a liberal campus have a greater influence than family traditions and attitudes? Yes

25. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Operational Definitions Simoncini truly cares about his students. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree Simoncini has a strong knowledge of the courses he teaches. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree Simoncini has no control over his students. Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree Simoncini should be “put out to pasture.” Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree

26. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Hey, I’m a math nerd, so I love this next part. We shall now discuss statistics. Frequency Distribution Way of arranging data so we know how often a particular score or observation occurs. One way to depict data: a histogram

27. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Central Tendency Describes something about the average score. Mode Most frequent score Can be skewed: Median Middle score A few extreme scores can have a disproportionate effect—pulls mean toward the extreme score Mean Sum of all scores divided by total number of scores M = X / N 4 + 8 + 5 + 10 + 2 + 9 = 38/6=6.33

28. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Measures of variance (variability) Provide an index of how spread out the scores of a distribution are. Range Subtract lowest score from the highest score Standard Deviation A measure of distance, describing an average distance of every score to the mean. The larger the standard deviation, the more spread out the scores are.

29. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Correlation Relationship between two sets of observations or variables. I wonder if you can draw a correlation between cumulative gpa’s and scores on this next test?

30. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Positive Three possible correlations: Using GPA to predict test scores: Test 5 >4.0 3.5-4 3-3.49 2.5-2.99 2-2.49 <2.0 Test Sc. 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95100

31. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Negative Three possible correlations: Using GPA to predict test scores: Test 5 >4.0 3.5-4 3-3.49 2.5-2.99 2-2.49 <2.0 Test Sc. 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95100

32. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics No Correlation Three possible correlations: Using GPA to predict test scores: Test 5 >4.0 3.5-4 3-3.49 2.5-2.99 2-2.49 <2.0 Test Sc. 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100

33. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics The correlation coefficient helps tell precisely the type of relationship there is between scores. High scores on both variables: positive correlation and correlation coefficient; high scores on one variable and low scores on the other: negative correlation and negative coefficient. The higher the number, the stronger the link; score of 0 = no consistent relationship between scores

34. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics OK, you people. For tomorrow’s class, be sure to bring your summer work projects.Some of you are going to present them to the class and critique your methodology, based on what you read in the textbook.

35. Psychological Research Methods and Statistics Well, people, that’s about it for this chapter except you will have your chapter test during our next meeting. In the Army, we call that “A chance to excel—HOOAH!!!”