Introduction to Research Methods

Transcription

1 Introduction to Research Methods 8-10% of the AP Exam Psychology is an empirical discipline. Psychologists develop knowledge by doing research. Research provides guidance for psychologists who develop theories to explain behavior and who apply theories to solve problems in behavior.

2 The Effect of Music on Performance Researchers have found that music can have a dramatic impact on human behavior. Consequently it is commonplace to hear music in grocery stores, department stores, restaurants, and businesses. For many people, the pace of music can influence their speed, mood, and concentration in subtle but significant ways. Hypothesis: Both groups listening to music will average faster times than the control group. Moreover, the fast music group will perform the best.

3 A Scientific Attitude Underlying all science is, first, a hard-headed curiosity, a passion to explore and understand without misleading or being mislead. Skepticism keeps us from accepting ideas without sound support. To believe with certainty, we must begin by doubting Polish Proverb As scientists, psychologists approach the world of behavior with curious skepticism, persistently asking two questions: What do you mean? How do you know? The Amazing Randi

4 A Scientific Attitude Do parental behaviors determine children s sexual orientation? Can astrologers predict your future based on the position of the planets at your birth? Is electroconvulsive therapy (delivering an electric shock to the brain) an effective treatment for severe depression?

5 A Scientific Attitude The rat is always right Early psychology motto Psychology requires humility an awareness of our own vulnerability to error and an openness to surprises and new perspectives Having to accept the truths that are revealed even if they go against what we theorize

6 Critical Thinking Examines assumptions, assesses the source, discerns hidden values, confirms evidence, and assesses conclusions. Critical thinkers ask questions!!! How do they know that? What is this person s agenda? Is the conclusion based on anecdote and gut feeling, or on evidence? Does this evidence justify a cause-effect conclusion? What alternative explanations are possible?

7 Critical Thinking in Practice 1. How many coins will it take for the cup to overflow? 2. If you drop a bullet off a table 3 feet high, and fire another one straight across an empty football field, which hits the ground first? 3. A ball rolls down a spiral track. The end of the track curves left. What path does the ball take when it leaves the track? 4. A wooden cube is 1 inch long on each side. How many cubes form a cube 2 inches long on each side?

8 Surprise Findings in Psychology Massive losses of brain tissue early in life may have minimal long-term effects. Within days, newborns can recognize their mother s odor and voice. After brain damage, a person may be able to learn new skills yet be unaware of such learning. Diverse groups men and women, old and young, rich and middle class, those with disabilities and those without report roughly comparable levels of personal happiness.

9 Debunking Popular Presumptions Sleepwalkers are NOT acting out their dreams. Our past experiences are NOT all recorded verbatim in our brains; with brain stimulation or hypnosis, one CANNOT simply hit the replay button and relived long-buried or repressed memories. Most people do NOT suffer from unrealistically low selfesteem, and high self-esteem is not all good. Opposites do NOT generally attract.

10 How Do You Know What You Know?

11 Make a List of 10 Things You Know

12 Make a List of 10 Things You Know Explain to your group how you know each thing on your list

13 Approaches to Knowledge Authority Intuition Common Sense Logic The Scientific Method

14 Authority Knowledge we get from someone else whom we trust.

15 Intuition Knowledge based on a hunch or feeling

16 Common Sense Knowledge based on what most people believe to be true.

17 Logic Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions through deduction or induction All birds have feathers. This animal has feathers. Therefore, this animal is a bird.

18 Logic Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions through deduction or induction All birds fly. This animal flies. Therefore, this animal is a bird.

19 Logic Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions through deduction or induction All birds fly. This animal doesn t fly. Therefore, this animal is NOT a bird.

20 Logic Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions through deduction or induction All animals that fly are birds. This animal flies. Therefore, this animal is a bird.

21 Logic Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions through deduction or induction All animals that fly are birds. This animal flies. Therefore, this animal is a bird.

22 The Scientific Method Knowledge based on empirical evidence gathered through carefully controlled procedures.

23 Steps in the Scientific Method Identify an area of interest/research question. Generate a hypothesis from your research question. Design a study to test your hypothesis. Formulate predictions based on your hypothesis. Collect data/information. Scientific Method Song Analyze and interpret the data to test predictions. Accept or reject the hypothesis. Communicate your results to the rest of the scientific community. Refine your hypothesis (and/or theory) based on the results. Replicate the study.

24 Which Approach to Knowledge? A man goes to the grocery store and buys fresh cheese from the deli. When he gets home, the cheese turns out to be moldy. He then goes to his friend's house and opens the refrigerator to find some cheese. The cheese in his friend's home is also moldy. The man concludes that his friend purchased the cheese from the same deli.

25 Which Approach to Knowledge? A student in a history class attends class regularly. She takes careful notes of everything her professor tells her. She does not read books outside the class, but instead relies on the instructor's lectures to know about the topics presented.

26 Which Approach to Knowledge? A father picks his daughter up from school every day. One day when he picks her up, he believes she has had a bad day at school. He is unable to say exactly why he believes this, but he has a strong feeling and is certain it is true.

27 Which Approach to Knowledge? A teacher believes her students are not reading their textbooks and are using only their class notes to study for exams. She designs an exam that draws only on information presented in the textbook and nothing from class notes. After administering the exam, she looks at the results and finds that students did worse on this exam than on previous exams. She concludes that students weren't reading their textbooks.

28 Make a List of 10 Things You Know Explain to your classmate how you know each thing on your list Write what method of knowledge you used to know each thing on your list Scientific Method

29 Make a List of 10 Things You Know Explain to your classmate how you know each thing on your list Write what method of knowledge you used to know each thing on your list For the items that you did NOT come to know through the Scientific Method, evaluate whether those could be investigated through the Scientific Method or not. The Scientific Method - Big Bang Theory

30 It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong. Richard P. Feynman

31 Let s Practice Hypothesis: Students who listen to music while studying learn better than students who do not. In your groups, discuss the ways this hypothesis could be tested. Be ready to share what you came up with.

32 The Scientific Method Clarifications: Theories are generally highly researched, rigorously tested frameworks that organize multiple studies under one umbrella of ideas not just educated guesses. In psychology, a hypothesis is a statement of relationship between or among variables. It is generated after researching what other scientists have learned and observing variables in the environment not just a testable question or educated guess.

33 How to overcome bias? Precise OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS that allow anyone to REPLICATE your observations with different participants and in different situations. Operational definitions are perhaps the most important part of a research study, because it defines what the researcher will be observing and manipulating. Procedures/operations must be EXACT! Replication is the main goal of good research. If results work for many different types of populations, then scientists can be reasonable comfortable that those results would apply to most people.

34 Let s Practice Generate operational definitions (must be measurable and manageable) for Happiness A smile Intelligence Popularity Good music

35 Let s Practice Legos!!! With your bag of Legos, make something and write down instructions on the paper provided. You must use all of the Legos in your bag. When you are finished, have someone in your group take a picture of it.

36 Let s Practice Legos!!! With your bag of Legos, make something and write down instructions on the paper provided. You must use all of the Legos in your bag. When you are finished, have someone in your group take a picture of it and then break it down and put the pieces back in the bag. When you move to another group, your task is to re-create their design using the instructions provided.