Intro. to Psychology PSY-101 By: Muhammad Bilal Younas 0323-6168636
Intro. to PsychologyPSY-101
By: Muhammad Bilal Younas
0323-6168636
Research
“Systematic investigation to establish facts”
Information gathering
Cont.Variety of techniques are applied to “get into the minds of the people”
What Research is?Attempt to achieve systematically and with
the support of data the answer to a question, the resolution to a problem, or the greater understanding of a phenomenon
Generation of new information and testing of ideas
Scientific ResearchCharacteristics of scientific findings are:EmpiricalSystematicPreciseVerifiablePublicEthical & Ideological neutralityObjective
Goals of Scientific ResearchDescriptionExplanationPredictioncontrol
Goals Questions asked to reach the goal
Description What happens?When and where does it happen?How does it happen?
Explanation Why does it happen?
Prediction What will happen next?
Control How can we influence this behavior or intervene in this situation?
Goals of Psychological ResearchDescription of social behavior
Are people who grow up in warm climates different from those in cold climates?
Establish a relationship between cause & effectDoes heat cause higher amounts of aggression?
Develop theories about why people behave the way that they doWe dislike Duke students to feel better about ourselves
ApplicationCreating effective therapeutic treatments, more
successful negotiation tactics, and greater understanding amongst groups of people
Purposes of Research A research can be undertaken for two
different purposes: To solve a currently existing problem
(applied research) To contribute to the general body of
knowledge in a particular area of interest (basic/fundamental research)
The Scientific Research Process
Identifying the problem
Defining the problem
Formulating Hypothesis
Data collectionAnalyzing the dataPreparing a report
The Process of Doing Research
First, select a topicGood theory:
Has predictive power Is simple & straightforward
Then, search the literatureFind out what others have done
that may be applicable to your area of interest
The Process of Doing Research
Next, formulate hypothesesHypothesis: specific statement of
expectation derived from theory State the relationship between two
variables
Variable: can be any event, characteristic, condition, or behavior
Let’s take a closer look . . .at variables Dependent variable (outcome variable)
Dependent on the influence of other factor(s)How do we operationally define?
Independent variable (predictor variable)Factor(s) that change the outcome variableHow do we operationally define & manipulate?Control group
The Process of Doing ResearchThen pick your research method
Experimental vs. co relational (DesignDesign)Field vs. laboratory (SettingSetting)
Finally, collect & analyze yourdata
Correlational researchThe purpose of correlational research is to
discover relationships between two or more variables.
Relationship means that an individuals status on one variable tends to reflect his or her status on the other.
Cont.Helps us understand related events,
conditions, and behaviors.Is there a relationship between educational
levels of farmers and crop yields?To make predictions of how one variable
might predict anotherCan high school grades be used to predict
college grades?
Correlational researchAdvantagesSometimes manipulation of variables is
impossible or unethicalEfficient – look at lots of data
DisadvantagesCANNOT DETERMINE CAUSATIONCould be a lurking variable
Experimental ResearchResearcher manipulates one variable (IV) to see effect on other variable (DV)Try to hold everything else constant
True experiments haveRandom sampling: selecting Ps randomly from
populationRandom assignment: chance assignment to
condition
Let’s take a closer look . . . at research methods
Research methods used in psychology:ObservationCase StudyTests, Questionnaire, SurveyExperiment
Imp. Concepts in ResearchPopulation: any set of individuals (or objects) having some
common observable characteristics.
Sample: the subset of a population which represents the characteristics of the population.
A sample consists of respondents or subjects
An informant: a person from whom a linguist obtains information about language, dialect, or culture.
A corpus is a collection of written or spoken material.
A hypothesis is a tentative statement that proposes a possible explanation to some phenomenon or event
TriangulationTriangulation is an approach to data analysis
that synthesizes data from multiple sources.a combination of Quantitative & Qualitative
techniques are impliedIdeas stemming from Qualitative research aretested empirically through Quantitative
studies.Combined findings enable psychologists to
design more meaningful and effective strategies.
Major Limitations in Conducting a ResearchTimeCostsAccess to resourcesApproval by authoritiesEthical concernsExpertise
Ethics in ResearchShould the study be done?Value vs. potential costAPA guidelines
How do we protect Ps?Informed consentConfidentiality & anonymityDebriefing