PSYC 2001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Confounding, Internal Validity, Mental Rotation

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2001
• Professor: Angel Mackenzie

Document Summary

Correlational methods (observation, surveys) can be used to determine the relationship between variables. However, determining cause and effect relationships requires experimental method (observation and control of extraneous variables) Confounding variable: confounding occurs when the effects of the independent variable and an uncontrolled variable are intertwined so one cannot determine which is responsible for effect. Internal validity: experiment must be designed so that only the independent variable can be the cause of the results. Experimental method requires: manipulation of independent variables (at least two levels required so you have something to compare the measure to, control of extraneous variables: experimental control (control group) and randomization. Of requirements 1 and 2 are met, a researcher can conclude that any. An example: visual imagery differences between the levels of the independent variable are due only to those variables that were manipulated. Need to operationalize mental imagery in order to understand it: shepard. Visual imagery: a type of mental representation; like a (cid:498)mental picture(cid:499)