PSYC 1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Natural Sciences And Engineering Research Council, Response Bias, Normal Distribution
16 Jun 2018
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Psychology Chapter 2 Notes
Textbook case study
- October 10, 2013 → Alice Munro (82-year-old Canadian) won the Nobel prize in literature
- First Canadian woman to do so
- Many Canadians felt very proud and happy
- Emotion plays a key role in our reaction both to the prize and to the story itself
- Emotions are central to our lives, making us who we are
- Qualitative research: iterested i the eaig of a speifi eperiee; data ofte
consists of words and narratives of experiences ((makes empirical observations of the
work and report these observations as narratives
- Quantitative methods: designed primarily to examine cause and effect relationships
where variables may be defined ahead of time and where the data are numerical (involves
empirical observations of the worlds reported as numerical quantities)
- Quantitative methods are currently dominant
The scientific approach to behavior:
- Three sets of goals shared by psychologists and other scientists: measurement and
description, understanding and predictions, and application and control
1) Measurement and description
- Develop measurement technique that make it possible to describe behaviour clearly and
precisely
- How can I measure behavior of interest?
2) Understanding and prediction
- You understand events when you can explain the reasons for the occurrence of the events
- Hypothesis: a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
- Variables: are any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviours that are
controlled or observed in a study
- Can I explain why that happens? Can I construct a theory that would predict it happening?
3) Application and control
- Information gathered has practical value
- Understanding of a phenomenon allows someone to have more control over it
- How can I use this understanding?
- Theory: a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations
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- Theories allow psychologists to make the leap from the description of the behaviour to
the understanding of the behavior, also guides future research by generating new
predictions and suggesting new lines of inquiry
- Theory must be testable (test one of two hypotheses derived from the theory)
Steps in scientific investigation
- System of interrelated ideas used to explain observations
- Organizes facts systematically
- Guides scientific research by helping to generate hypotheses
Step 1) formulate a testable hypothesis
- Translate a theory into a testable hypothesis
- (ex) Dutton and Aron predicated that increase arousal would heighten he sexual
attraction of their research participant to member s of the opposite sex to whom they
were just introduced
- Hypotheses must be formulated precisely and the variables under study must be clearly
defined
- Operational definition describes the actions of operations that will be used to measure or
control a variable (establish precisely what is meant by each variable in context of study)
Step 2) select the research method and design the study
- Put the hypothesis to an empirical test
- Ex. Dutton and Aron used experiment
- Make detailed plans
Step 3) collect the data
- (ex) Dutton and Aron collected sexual imagery and recorded the number of calls to the
confederate after participants crossed the brides
- Data collection techniques are procedures for making empirical observations and
measurements
Step 4) analyze the data and draw conclusions
- Observations are usually converted to numbers
- Use of statistics
Step 5) report the findings
- Share findings with one another and the general public
- Report
- Journal: a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly
defined area of inquiry
- Evaluation process
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Data collecting techniques:
Direct observation: observers are trained to watch and record behavior as objectively and
precisely as possible
Questionnaire: subjects are administered a series of written questions designed to obtain further
information about attitudes, opinions and specifics aspects of their behavior
Interview: a face to face dialogue is conducted to obtain information about specific aspects of a
sujet’s behavior
Psychological test: subjects are administered a standardized measure to obtain a sample of their
behavior tests are usually used to assess mental abilities or personality traits
Physiological recording: an instrument is used to monitor and record a specific physiological
process in a subject (blood pressure, heart rate…)
Examination of archival records: the researcher analyzes existing institutional records (the
archives) such as a census, economic, medical, legal, educational, and business records
Advantages of scientific approach:
- Two major advantages
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Document Summary
October 10, 2013 alice munro (82-year-old canadian) won the nobel prize in literature. Many canadians felt very proud and happy. Emotion plays a key role in our reaction both to the prize and to the story itself. Emotions are central to our lives, making us who we are. Qualitative research: i(cid:374)terested i(cid:374) the (cid:862)(cid:373)ea(cid:374)i(cid:374)g(cid:863) of a spe(cid:272)ifi(cid:272) e(cid:454)perie(cid:374)(cid:272)e; data ofte(cid:374) consists of words and narratives of experiences ((makes empirical observations of the work and report these observations as narratives. Quantitative methods: designed primarily to examine cause and effect relationships where variables may be defined ahead of time and where the data are numerical (involves empirical observations of the worlds reported as numerical quantities) Three sets of goals shared by psychologists and other scientists: measurement and description, understanding and predictions, and application and control: measurement and description. Develop measurement technique that make it possible to describe behaviour clearly and precisely. How can i measure behavior of interest: understanding and prediction.
