PSYB21H3 Lecture Notes - Observer-Expectancy Effect, Odd Future, Language Development
Document Summary
Some definitions: research design, research question, hypothesis, variable, independent variable, dependent variable. An in-depth investigation of one person or a small group. Used when there just aren t many people to study. May learn a lot about the small group, but its hard to generalize because they could be weird cases. Participants are randomly selected and randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group. 3 essential characteristics: researcher manipulates one variable, researcher measures whether this variable produces changes in another variable, researcher attempts to control for other factors that might influence results. Tell us what factors are associated in a positive or negative way. Used because they are easier to do, and for ethical reasons. Advantages: show relationships that are already established. Disadvantages: show an associated not a cause. The variables can have a positive or negative correlation. Positive correlation: x and y variables are going up. Negative correlation: x is increasing, y is decreasing.
