PSYCH 111 Study Guide - Illusory Correlation, Naturalistic Observation, Dependent And Independent Variables
Document Summary
The correlation coefficient is the mathematical expression of the relationship between the two variables. Research strategies: how psychologists ask and answer questions. The starting point of any science is description. In everyday life, all of us observe and describe people, often drawing conclusions about why they behave as they do. Professional psychologists do much the same, though more objectively and systematically. Among the oldest research methods is the case study- in which psychologists study one individual in great depth in the hope of revealing things true of us all. Much of our early knowledge about the brain came from case studies of individuals who suffered a particular impairment after damage to a certain brain region. Jean piaget taught us about children"s thinking after carefully observing and questioning only a few children. Studies of only a few chimpanzees have revealed their capacity for understanding and language. Case studies can suggest hypotheses for further studies.
