Chapter 1 -Hyptheses: Crafting Testable Predictions PDF

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Textbook notes for chapter 1. Andre Maharaj. Fall 2014. ...

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September 3, 2014

Hyptheses: Crafting Testable Predictions ●

Hypothesis: A prediction, stemming from a theory, states in a way that allows it to be tested ○ you never say that you prove the hypothesis, you can only support it because ○ Karl Popper- promoted idea of falsify ability, need to be able to prove something wrong. Can neither prove nor disprove. If it is not falsifiable it is not scientific ○ smallest testable statement ○ Example: ➢ Theory- All children love sweets ➢ Hypothesis- If a child was offered a cookie, then he/she will take it. ○ Null hypothesis is what you test, will always state the contrary to the alternative ➢ Null Hyp.- all children will not take the cookie ➢ The null hypothesis was rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis ➢ Only use the following statements: ● “We fail to reject the null hypothesis” OR ● “We reject the null hypothesis in favor of the alternative hypothesis” ● Operational definition: translation of a hypothesis into specific, testable procedures Archival Research ● Existing data is used to investigate a hypothesis: ○ Census documents ○ College records ○ Newspaper clippings ● Problem with using existing data: ○ Data may not be in form of that allows the researcher to test a hypothesis fully ● Data has to match up Naturalistic Observation ● Investigator simply observes some naturally occurring behavior ○ Does not make a change in the situation ● Advantage - Sample of what people do in their natural habitat ● Disadvantage - Inability to control any of the factors of interest, it will alter people’s behavior ○ Example: If you and your friends were hanging out at a bar, (illegally, fake ID) and an older man was staring at you, your actions would be different and you wouldn't drink any alcoholic beverages Survey Research ● People are asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes ● Pitfalls ○ Results will be inconsequential if the sample is not representative ○ Survey respondents may not want to admit to holding socially undesirable attitudes ○

Joke: two eskimos were in a boat, the boat was on fire, what is the moral of the story? The Case Study ● In-depth intensive investigation of a single individual or small group ○ Psychological testing ● Drawback- Unique individuals make it impossible for generalizations

Correlational Research ● Research in which the relationship between two sets of variables is examined to determine: ○ Whether they are “associated, or “correlated” ● Correlation coefficient ○ Positive- as the value of one variable increases, so will the value of the other variable ; ↑↑ ○ Negative- As the value of one variable increases, value of the other variable will decrease; ↑↓ ● Drawback - inability to demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships Experimental Research ● Experiment: Investigation of the relationship between two (or more) variables by: ○ Producing a change in one variable in a situation and observing the effects on the second variable ● Experimental manipulation: ● Experimental groups and control groups ○ Treatment ➢ Manipulation implemented by the experimenter ○ Experimental group ➢ Any group participating in an experiment that receives a treatment ○ Control group ➢ Group participating in an experiment that receives no treatment ➢ “Placebo effect” ➢ See if person can heal on their own in time ➢ May not always be ethical to hold a control group, ex: person has three weeks to live but medicine takes two weeks to start working ○ Independent variable: The variable that is manipulated by an experimenter ● Significant outcome: meaningful results -- significance in psych means “something specific” ○ make it possible for researchers to feel confident that they have confirmed their hypotheses ● Replicated research: research that is repeated ○ adds support to theories, strengthens ● Gold standard ○ 95% ○ Not always best - airplanes landing, airtight in spaceship ● The Ethics of Research ○ Informed consent: A document signed by participants: ➢ Affirms that they have been told about the basic outlines of the study ➢ Informs of side effects ● Should animals be used in research? ○ Procedures that subject animals to distress are permitted: ➢ When an alternative procedure is unavailable ➢ When the research is justified by its prospective value ○ Provides greater experimental control over nonhumans ○ Procedures that might not be possible with people can be carried out...