Chapter 2 Notes - Summary Introduction to Psychology I PDF

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Chapter 2 The Scientific Approach to Behaviour 

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The scientific approach assumes that there are laws of behaviour that can be discovered through empirical research. The goals of this science of psychology include 1. The measurement and description of behaviour 2. The understanding and prediction of behaviour 3. The application of this knowledge to the task of controlling behaviour A scientific investigation follows a systematic pattern that includes five steps 1. Formulate a testable hypothesis 2. Select the research method and design the study 3. Collect the data 4. Analyze the data and draw conclusions 5. Report findings By integrating apparently unrelated facts into a coherent whole, theories permit psychologists to make the leap from the description of behaviour to understanding behaviour Looking for Causes: Experimental Research

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Experimental research involves the manipulation of an independent variable to ascertain it effect on a dependent variable. This research is usually done by comparing experimental and control groups, which must be somewhat alike. Experimental designs may vary. For example, sometimes an experimental group serves as its own control group. And many experiments have more than one independent or dependent variable An experiment is a powerful research method that permits conclusions about cause and effect relationships between variables. However, the experimental method is often not usable for a specific problem, and many experiments tend to be artificial Looking for Links: Descriptive/ Correlational Research

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Psychologists rely on descriptive/correlational research when they are unable to manipulate the variables they want to study. Key descriptive methods include naturalistic observation, case studies, and surveys. Descriptive/ correlational research methods allow psychologists to explore issues that might not be open to experimental investigation. However, these research methods cannot demonstrate cause and effect relationships...