PSY 205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Jane Goodall, Operational Definition, Sampling Bias
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PSY 205 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Theory--system of related ideas used to explain phenomena. Backed up by a lot of evidence. Hypothesis: prediction of the outcome of a specific relationship of variables. Variables: any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study. Operational definition: describes the actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable; detailed specification of methods. Naturalistic observation: careful observation of behavior in its natural setting, without direct intervention (jane goodall) Minimizes artificiality, takes place in the real world. Good if little is known about topic. Participant observation: researcher participates in ongoing activities (researcher goes into the psych ward and pretends to be a patient example) Different than naturalistic observation because experimenter is playing an active role. Case study: in-depth investigation of a single individual using direct interview, direct observation, and other data sources. Well suited for study of psychological disorders. Study topics that would not otherwise be ethical to research.
