1. The Science of Psychology
BasicResearch: conducted to
advance scientific knowledge
Applied Research: designed to
solve practical problems
2. Is this an
example of
basic or
applied
research?
3. The Science of Psychology:
Ethical Guidelines
Ethical Guidelines for Human
Research Participants:
• Informed consent
• Voluntary participation
• Restricted use of deception
• Debriefing
• Confidentiality
• Alternative activities
4. Research Methods
Four key research
methods:
1. Experimental
2. Descriptive
3. Correlational
4. Biological
6. Four Key Research Methods
(Continued)
1. Experimental Research: carefully
controlled scientific procedure that
manipulates variables to determine
cause & effect
7. Research Methods—
Experimental (Continued)
Key features of an experiment:
Independent variable (factor that is
manipulated) versus dependent variable
(factor that is measured)
Experimental group (receives treatment)
versus control group (receives no
treatment)
8. Does TV
increase
aggression?
Only an
experiment can
determine
cause & effect.
9. Research Methods—
Experimental (Continued)
Potentialresearcher problems:
Experimenter bias (researcher influences the
research results in the expected direction)
Ethnocentrism (believing one's culture is
typical of all cultures)
10. Research Methods—
Experimental (Continued)
Potential participant problems:
Sample bias (research participants are
unrepresentative of the larger
population)
Participant bias (research participants
are influenced by the researcher or
experimental conditions)
11. Research Methods—
Descriptive
2.Descriptive Research: observes &
records behavior without producing
causal explanations
12. Research Methods—Descriptive
Three types of descriptive research:
• Naturalistic Observation
(observation & recording of
behavior in natural state or
habitat)
• Survey (assessment of a sample or
population)
• Case Study (in-depth study of a
single participant)
13. Pause & Reflect:
Psychology at
Work
What is the advantage of studying
psychological research methods
like naturalistic observation?
14. Research Methods—
Correlational
3. Correlational Research: observes or
measures (without directly
manipulating) two or more variables
to find relationships between them
15. Research Methods—
Correlational
Positive
Correlation: two
variables move (or
vary) in the same
direction—either
up or down
16. Research Methods—
Correlational
Negative
Correlation: two
variables move
(or vary) in the
opposite
direction—either
up or down
17. Research Methods—
Correlational
Zero Correlation: no
relationship between
two variables (when
one variable
increases, the other
can increase,
decrease, or stay the
same)