PSYC 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Naturalistic Observation, Operational Definition, Empiricism
1 Feb 2018
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If/then statement: why can theories be proven wrong but not right, there are too many possibilities to test but can be proven wrong by a single discontinuity. Empirical method: a set of rules and techniques for observation, challenges to empiricism, complexity: the human brain is extremely complex, variability: no two people are the same, reactivity: people react differently from each other. Research designs: between design: one group control the other experimental, within design: same group for control and experimental, repeated measures, counterbalancing, cross-sectional designs: within a similar age group, multiple independent variables. Observations: measurement, defining and detecting, operational definition: description of a property in measurable terms. Instrument: anything that can accurately measure what the operational definition refers to: example: happiness; the frequency in which a person smiles, validity, reliability and power, validity: the goodness in which a concrete event defines a property, eg.
