PSY 205 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Stopwatch, Operational Definition, Psychological Testing

• School: Syracuse University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 205
• Professor: S.Houck

Document Summary

The scientific approach assumes that events are governed by some lawful order. Hypothesis: tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. Variables: any measureable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study. Theory: a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations. Scientific investigations are systematic = orderly pattern. Steps of scientific experiment: formulate a testable hypothesis, testable = hypothesis must be formulated precisely and variables must be clearly defined a. i. Ex: direct observations, interviews, psychological tests, etc: depend on what is being tested, analyze the data and draw conclusions, use statistics to analyze their data, decide whether hypothesis should be supported, report the findings, write up summary b. Journal = periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry b. i. Direct observation: observers are trained to watch and record behavior as objectively and precisely as possible.