PSYCH 360 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Naturalistic Observation, Informed Consent, Participant Observation
21 Feb 2014
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Basic research: research designed to increase knowledge about social behavior. Applied research: research designed to increase the understanding of and solutions to real-world problems by using current social psychological knowledge. Steps in the process of social psychological research: Step 1: select a topic and review past research. Step 2: develop a theory and generate some hypotheses. A theory is an organized system of ideas that seeks to explain why two or more events are related. You can determine the predictive accuracy of a theory by formulating a hypothesis. Hypothesis: an educated guess or prediction about the nature of things based upon a theory. Field study: the researcher studies individuals in a natural setting. Lab study: the researcher creates situations and carefully controls them. Step 3: obtain approval to conduct your study (ethics) Deception: a methodological technique in which the researcher misinforms participants about the true nature of what they are experiencing in a study.
