PSYC 412 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Randomized Controlled Trial, Confirmation Bias, Etiology
Document Summary
Evidence-based medicine is an approach to health care intended to optimize decision making in treating patients by integrating the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. Confirmation bias is a big danger within unscientific thinking - it can cause individuals to reach untested conclusions as to why something is occurring. Descriptive studies: researchers observe and record participant behavior. Form hypotheses that are tested more systematically later on. Includes case studies, interviews, surveys, focus groups, observational studies. No direct control over variables, subject to some bias. Can reveal info about two variables that may be related - correlation. Correlation coefficient - statistical measure of strength and direction of the relationship between two variables and how well one predicts the other - range is from -1 to 1 - strength indicated by close to -1 or 1. Test hypotheses by manipulating one/more independent variables to see changes in one or more dependent variables and keeping all other variables constant.
