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Research In Psychology

Research In Psychology. An Overview. Defining Psychology. From the Greek psi roughly meaning immortal soul. Common Modern Definition:. “Psychology is the science of behavior and cognitive processes.” Science: system of rules for conducting repeatable observations

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Research In Psychology

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  1. Research In Psychology An Overview

  2. Defining Psychology • From the Greek psi roughly meaning immortal soul

  3. Common Modern Definition: “Psychology is the science of behavior and cognitive processes.” Science: system of rules for conducting repeatable observations Behavior may be overt (‘obvious’) or covert (hidden; capable of exposure or ‘observation by inference’) As we noted before, the object of study may be difficult to rigorously quantify

  4. About the course… • Organized around six “great” questions or issues, such as sex differences, cognitive life, etc. • Long of interest to human kind • Psychology can now offer answers (albeit not the only answers), from scientific and critical thinking perspectives

  5. Organizing Theme: Critical Thinking Two elements: • A set of skills to process and generate information and beliefs • A habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using skills to guide behavior

  6. Critical Thinking Defined • “disciplined process of analyzing and evaluating information gathered by observation, experience, reflection, reason, and/or communication so that belief and action are guided. (Scriven and Paul, 2000)”

  7. The “critical thinker”, then; • Seeks information and perspectives • Evaluates information and perspective by a rational criteria • Reconciles fact and action

  8. An “uncritical thinker” • Avoids information and perspective • Fails to evaluate information and perspective they do experience • Acquires information with no commitment to act on it (Trivial Pursuits) • Or, acts uncritically (against information)

  9. Evaluating Claims • Sometimes, a negative example helps…

  10. Some Potential Evaluative Standards • Nature of Assumptions • Consistency with accepted facts • Motivation for claims of truth (“Point of View”) • Logic • Quality of Evidentiary Data • Potential to be Falsified • Critical Thinking is a requirement of the scientific process– indeed, the two are inseparable.

  11. Doing Psychological Research Logic and Process

  12. Why We Research • Research is done principally to • test hypotheses drawn from theories • hypothesis: a specific prediction that can be tested • theory: a systematic collection of statements about phenomena • Note: we generalize from theory to reality, not from research findings to reality • Less often, to advance basic knowledge • Research here intends to describe, not explain phenomena • Research’s aim is explaining a phenomenon’s cause

  13. Searching for Causality • If an event precedes a consequence • If the consequence does not occur in the absence of the event • If the consequence does not occur in the presence of other events • Then, causality is established

  14. Goal of Psychological Research • Have 2 conditions identical except for the presence or absence of the event in question • Therefore, changes in subjects’ behavior is attributed to the event

  15. Basic Components of Research:The True Experiment • At least Two Conditions • experimental group: “gets” the event of interest • control group: no event of interest; serves as a comparison group • Variables of Interest • Independent Variable: ‘event of interest’ controlled by Experimenter • Dependent Variable: measured behavior of subjects • Control Variables: extraneous, but influential variables that we must control

  16. Random Assignment of Subjects to Conditions • Note: not “Random Sampling” in which everyone has equal chance of participating in study

  17. A Goofy Example • Drug “X” • Afternoon garage project • enhances sex appeal, doubles intelligence, eliminates all bad odors, guarantees financial and social success, and promotes hair growth • preliminary tests on mice indicates 2% mortality rate (ethical problem?) • It’s time for human trials, so… • Any Volunteers?

  18. “X” volunteers are • more adventuresome • less aware of probabilities • more materialistic than the “control” group • By Accepting Volunteers, any differences may be to their adventuresome natures, not to the effects of “Drug X” • But how can we tell? • Threat to Internal Validity • lessens confidence in findings of study

  19. Other Common Internal Validity Threats • Experimenter Expectancies • controlled by the double blind procedures • neither Experimenter nor Subjects know what condition or hypothesis • Subject Expectancies • subjects seek hypothesis • subjects shape behavior to support or challenge hypothesis (demand characteristics)

  20. A Word About Ethics • Ethical Standards have improved since 1970’s • Review of studies by Institutional Review Boards (“IRB’s”) • Freedom from coercion • Reduction in Deceptive Procedures • Confidentiality of Participant Data • Informed Consent • Complete and Full Debriefing

  21. Ethics for Non-Human Subjects • Again, review by IRB’s • Humane Housing practices • No Needless Suffering • In general, more stringent guidelines for animals than humans.

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