Goals of Scientific Enterprise
-Measurement and description
-Understanding and prediction
-Application and control
Measurement and Control
-Develop technique to describe behavior
Understanding and Prediction
-evaluate understanding and test hypotheses
Application and Control
-apply research to solve practical problems and assert control
Hypothesis
a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables
variables:
measurable conditions, events, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study
theory
a system of interrelated ideas used to explain observations
operational definition
describes actions or operations that are used to measure or control a variable
Independent variable
a condition an experimenter varies
Dependent variable
variable thought to be affected by manipulation of independent variable
Steps in Scientific Investigation
1) Form testable hypothesis
2)Select Research method and Design
3)Collect Data
4) Analyze Data
5) Report Findings
2) Research Method
-depends on question
-experiments, case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation
participants
subjects whose behavior is observed
3) Collect Data
-direct observation
-questionnaires
-interviews
-surveys
-psychological tests
data collection techniques
procedures for making empirical observations and measurements
Direct Observation
watch and record behavior as precisely as possible. Stop watch or video recorder used.
Questionnaire
subjects given series of written questions designed to obtain info
Interview
face to face dialogue conducted to obtain info about subjects behavior
Physiological recording
instrument used to monitor and record physiological process in a subject. Ex. blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension
Psychological test
-subjects given a standardized measure to obtain sample of behavior
Examination of archival records
analyzes existing institutional records such as census, economic, medical, legal records.
4) Anaylze Data
use statistics
5) Report findings
journal: a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material
-90% rejected
Advantages of Scientific Approach
-clarity and precision
-relative intolerance of error (objective data)
-yields more accurate and dependable info
Examples of Experiments
Sherman study : name realism: belief in one's objectivity and opponents subjectivity
Predicted that each person whether conservative or liberal will judge the other as extremists
-used survey
-actually supporters and rejectors not far apart in opinion on
Examples of Experiments 2
-Schacter: need for affliation: increase anxiety leads to increase need for comfort
-ID: anxiety level DV: desire to affliate
-Control: low anxiety level
-method: told study on electric shock. Told would receive a series of shocks would be painful. Others
Extraneous Variable
any variable other than independent that likely to influence results
Confounding of variables
-2 variables linked in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their special effects
random assignment
all subjects have equal chance of participating in any group in study
Advantages and disadvantages of Experimental Research
-permits conclusions about cause and effect
-limited because must create artificial situations to test.
-can't explore same research questions