382 Midterm Exam Practice and Different Types of Research Methods Lecture

Sometimes, misleading data are published due to honest errors in statistics or record-keeping or differences in opinion about reporting data

• a. True• b. False

Sometimes, misleading data are published due to honest errors in statistics or record-keeping or differences in opinion about reporting data

• a. True• b. False• A: lecture

Making up data or results and recording or reporting them

• a. plagiarism • b. fabrication• c. falsification• d. all of the above

Making up data or results and recording or reporting them

• a. plagiarism • b. fabrication (lecture)• c. falsification• d. all of the above

• In Asch’s (1951) experiment, participants reported which comparison line was similar to a standard line. When confederates selected the wrong line, some participants also picked the wrong line. Asch suggested that these results likely reflect

• a. informational influence• b. normative influence• c. obedience to authority• d. private influence

• In Asch’s (1951) experiment, participants reported which comparison line was similar to a standard line. When confederates selected the wrong line, some participants also picked the wrong line. Asch suggested that these results likely reflect

• a. informational influence• b. normative influence• c. obedience to authority• d. private influence• B: Lecture

Overview of 4 Basic Research Methods

hypothesis

hypothesis

• educated guess

• clearly stated and testable prediction

Theory

Theory

organized set of principles used to explain observed phenomena

Good theories tend to:

• be SIMPLE• have EXPLANATORY POWER

4 Broad Categories of Research

• 1. Descriptive research• 2. Correlational research• 3. Experimental research• 4. Quasi-experimental research

1. Descriptive Research

1. Descriptive Research

• Describes the behavior, thoughts, or feelings of a particular group of individuals

1. Descriptive Research

• Describes the behavior, thoughts or feelings of a particular group of individuals

• EX: public opinion polls

1. Descriptive Research

Little effort to relate behavior under study to other variable or examine or explain causes systematically

Foundation for all types of research

2. Correlational Research

2. Correlational Research

• Investigates the relations among variables

2. Correlational Research

• Does not tell us about whether one variable actually causes the other

3. Experimental Research

3. Experimental Research

• Researcher manipulates one variable to see whether changes in behavior occur as a consequence

• To understand cause and effect

Independent Variables

Independent Variables

• The treatment or condition manipulated by the experimenter

Dependent Variables

Dependent Variables

• The expected effect of a treatment

• Any aspect of the participants’ behavior that is measured after the experimental treatment

Experimental Control

• The ability of the experimenter to hold theoretically irrelevant factors constant in an experiment

Experimental Realism

• The extent to which events in the experimental setting are credible, involving, and taken seriously by participants

Mundane Realism

• The extent to which experimental events in a controlled setting are similar to events which occur in the “real” world

4. Quasi-Experimental Research

• When cannot control all other factors and cannot manipulate independent variable

• Study event naturally or manipulate variable but do not exert much control

EX: studying the potential role of part-time job on school grades

EX: studying the potential role of part-time job on school grades

• Imagine correlational study shows positive and significant relation between these variables

• What about causality?

EX: studying the potential role of part-time job on school grades

• Study students over time – students who naturally fall into a group of part-time workers or full time students

4. Quasi-Experimental Research

• Do not allow same degree of confidence in interpretation as true experiments

Which of 4 research strategies?

Which of 4 research strategies?

• practical concerns (time, $, control over the situation)

• ethical issues (manipulating independent variable)

Experimenter Expectancy Effects

Experimenter Expectancy Effects

• Experimenters’ expectations can distort the results of an experiment by affecting how they interpret participants’ behavior

Demand Characteristics

Demand Characteristics

• Aspects of a study that indicate to participants who they should behave