PSY 12000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Random Assignment, Internal Validity, Central Tendency
16 Aug 2018
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Chapter 2 study guide: understand how best to observe and describe behavior: Chose a behavior and begin recording its characteristics. To solve problems related to observation and description, psychologists have developed a set of procedures known as descriptive research: describe the techniques and goals of descriptive research: Descriptive research: methods designed to observe and describe behavior. Descriptive research alone cant provide causal explanations-need experiments for that! However its not as easy as just sitting and recording behavior w a camer. Ex u could record kids playing in the playground however the research on behavior might not bc accurate bc kids were probs uncomfortable w the presence of cameras so they acted differently: define reactivity and external validity: Reactivity: when behavior changes as a result of the observation process. Behavior is a reaction to the observation process. One consequence is the loss of external validity situation or are representative of real life.
