PSY 205 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Dependent And Independent Variables, Institute For Operations Research And The Management Sciences, Qualitative Property

• School: Syracuse University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 205
• Professor: Newman

Document Summary

Learning about people - a flawed strategy: detecting flaws. Think critically about problems in research - apply critical thinking skills you use in everyday life to questions about research methods. Begin work with a design (outline or sketch of the job to be done) Research designs - plans for the execution of scientific research projects specific research goals. Description - establish basic facts about the topic under study - guide subsequent theory and research. Prediction - forecast the occurrence of events; information available at one point in time can be used to estimate an outcome that occurs later. Causal explanation - identify factors that directly influence outcomes ; How an outcome depends on other variables or factors . Manipulation - if a factor is manipulated and an outcome varies, then the manipulated factor causally influenced the outcome. Advance the central goal of science: understanding of how the world works.