Foundations of Psychological Research Methods

Notes

Chapter 2- Critical thinking- Empiricism- studying psychological topics using observable scientific evidence Skepticism- an attitude of doubt or questioning towards claims or theories Definitions- Hypothesis- An educated prediction about the outcome of an experiment. Theory- predicts future outcomes and guides research Surveys- A method using questions to collect information on how people think or act Case studies- An in-depth analysis of a unique circumstance or individual Correlational research- attempts to make predictions about relationships between two variables that we have measured Direction- tells us if two variables are related in the same or opposite way. Positivity correlation and negative correlation Strength- refers to how closely the two variables are related. Strong correlation, weak correlation, no correlation Third variable problem- ex. When it’s hot outside ice cream sales go up along with homicides. This is because of the temperature, which is the third variable. More people want ice cream because it’s hot outside and more people are outside causing more room for crime. Limitations- experimenter bias, ethical concerns , and artificiality Experimental research- al...