PSYB32H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Social Skills, Psychopathology, Binge Eating
Document Summary
Chapter 5: research methods in the study of abnormal behaviour. 5 steps of the scientific method that apply to experiments: Identify problem and formulate cause-and-effect relations among variables: design experiment, perform experiment, evaluate hypothesis by examining data from the study, communicate the results. Ex: suppose you want to test a classical-conditioning theory of phobias. Begin by developing a scientific hypothesis based on the theory. If classical-conditioning theory is valid, people with phobias should be more likely than those in the general population to have had traumatic experiences with the situations they fear such as flying. By collecting data on the frequency of traumatic experiences with phobic stimuli and comparing info with people without the phobias, you could determine whether your hypothesis was confirmed. In formulating a theory, scientists must make use of theoretical concepts: unobservable states/ processes that are inferred from observable data. Better defined by sets of operations (tension, physiological changes, and hand trembling) than by a single operation.
