The science of
psychology
a science is defined by its methods
structured observations
importance of replication and peer review
Psychologys PR
problems
What do people think of when they think of psychology?
Media presentation
Everyone thinks he/she is an expert
Not enough information presented
Cutsy stuff gets the attention
Testimonial problem
Goals of the science
of psychology
Provide understanding of why people and animals behave as they do (basic
research)
Solve practical problems (applied research)
Formulating
hypotheses
personal observation (observation)
theory (experts)
previous research (literature search)
Testable hypotheses
states variables that are measurable
specifies relationships between variables
Operational
definitions
how you produce and measure a construct
Are these testable
hypotheses?
Males and females differ in their likelihood to self-disclose.
Mothers are more loving than are fathers.
Juvenile delinquents are less likely than non-delinquents to have had a
pet when they were a young child.
People who are raised in the
Example
Dr. Jazz wanted to test the effects of music
on learning by fourth grade children. To keep his work at a manageable level,
he decided to introduce music into the classroom every afternoon for one week.
No music would be played during the morning. Dr. Jazz chose the music
carefullythe music was from familiar TV cartoons, and the loudness was
moderate. After the week of music presentation, the students were given tests
on the morning and afternoon material. Test scores for the morning material
were much higher than the scores on the afternoon material. Thus, the
experimenter concluded that cartoon music disrupted learning in the classroom.
Problems in research
confounding
ethics
researcher bias
be aware
protocols
blind to condition
replication
Research terms
Independent variable--the variable that is manipulated
Dependent variable--the variable that is measured
Control variable--variables that are held constant
Research terms
Between-participants design--each person is in only 1 condition
Within-participants design--each person is in every condition
Independent,
dependent, and control variables
Participants read a story printed on either red,
blue, or white paper. Afterwards, they were given a recall test.
Students who were either in a serious relationship or not dating at all
participated in a study in which they rated the attractiveness of five
opposite-sex persons.
Independent,
dependent, and control variables
Male prisoners who were either convicted of violent crimes or convicted
of nonviolent crimes completed an attitudes toward
women questionnaire.
Six patients with obsessive compulsive disorder completed six weeks of
drug therapy, while six other patients completed six weeks of group therapy.
Their number of symptoms before and after therapy were measured and compared.