Psychology 2550A/B Lecture Notes - Statistical Power, Dependent And Independent Variables, Type A And Type B Personality Theory

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2550A/B
• Professor: paunonem

Document Summary

Empirical verification: to formulate and hypothesis about human behavior and to test it empirically. Descriptive statement about behavior that can be confirmed or not. Operational definition: to define the term of hypothesis by reference to observable events or measurable phenomena. But, for measuring hypothetical constructs (unobservable cause or factor that determine or explains several behaviors) we must inferred from observable phenomena (like aggression). Controlled observation: to perform empirical verification under condition in which the phenomenon under observation can be controlled. A causes b: eliminate all possible causes of b except a!!! So eliminate the confounding variable (c) => the effect of a depends on c = interaction. 2 ways to control confounding variable: experimental control: in laboratory studies where we can hold the others variables constant, statistical control: in field studies where control is not possible. Statistical generalization: observation must generalize to conditions other than those under which they were made.