PSY 3213C - Study Guide for Exam 1 PDF

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Study Guide for PSY3213C Exam 1 FSU...

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PSY3213C Research Methods in Psychology Exam 1 Study Guide (Chapter 1-5) NOTE: Exams may contain material not included on this guide. Material on guide is not guaranteed to be on exams. Use this information as a GUIDE for your studying, but do not treat it as a “map” that will show you everything. This information comes from the textbook AND the lectures. A good first step: Be able to answer ALL of the “Check Your Understanding” Questions from the Chapters covered in this book. If you have the 3rd edition, it comes with another online study tool called “Inquizitive” that many students find helpful. Chapter 1 – Psychology Is a Way of Thinking   

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How do the responsibilities of being a good research producer compare to those of being a good research consume? How does the example of facilitated communication demonstrate that both consumers and producers of research are prone to making mistakes when they don’t pay attention to methodology? What are the four different scientific cycles? Understand the relevant examples discussed in the book: o Ex: How did Harry Harlow use the theory-data cycle to examine the contact comfort theory vs. the cupboard theory of attachment? How is a theory different from a hypothesis? What criteria determine if a theory is a GOOD theory? How does translational research provide a bridge between basic and applied research? What does it mean for journals to be peer-reviewed? What does this process entail? What are the big issues related to making sure that the Journal-to-Journalism cycle get things right?? Other material covered in the slides: (Ex: What is an implicit theory?) – true for ALL chapters

Chapter 2 – Sources of Information: Evaluating, Finding, and Reading Information        

Explain why relying on personal experience is less helpful than looking to see what research says about a given topic (Ex: catharsis effects/aggression) What does it mean that experience is confounded? Be able to distinguish between various different biases we can be prone to having (good stories, present/present bias, pop-up principle – aka: availability heuristic, etc.) As researchers, how can we reduce overconfidence, cherry picking, or asking biased questions? What are some of the strengths/weaknesses of the different types of sources you can use (journals, books, etc.)? What do you use PsycINFO for? What advantages/disadvantages does it have compared to other approaches to finding resources? Know the different sections of a research article Know the characteristics of good scientific explanations vs. those of pseudoscience

Chapter 4 – Ethical Guidelines for Psychological Research

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Be able to describe what was unethical about famous experiments such as the Tuskegee Study, Milgram’s obedience to authority experiments, Zimbardo’s prison study, or Watson’s work on Little Albert. What kind of information needs to be in a debriefing or an informed consent form? What three basic principles were proposed in the Belmont Report? (And what do they mean?) What two ethical principles did the APA add to the Belmont Report? o You don’t need to know the ten ethical standards When is it/is it not appropriate to use deception? If you do use deception, what steps must you take to ensure participants’ rights are being protected? What is the responsibility of the IRB? What kinds of people are found on an IRB? When is the IACUC used instead of the IRB? What “Three R’s” does the IACUC use as its standards for ethical practice? What are examples of research misconduct and why is it considered unethical?

Chapter 3 – Three Claims, Four Validities: Interrogation Tools for Consumers of Research    

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What IS a variable? What is the difference between a measured and a manipulated variable? Review: what is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable? What is the difference between a conceptual and an operational definition? Be able to distinguish between the three claims research can make and recognize examples. o What are the four types of association claims? o WHY doesn’t correlation equal causation? AKA: what criteria need to be present to establish causation? Be able to differentiate between the four types of validities discussed and relevant issues o Ex: how does random assignment affect external validity

Chapter 5 – Identifying Good Measurement *There are numerous types of validity in Chapter 5, and I want to ensure that we have time to discuss them in class. Therefore, that content will be on Exam 2. 

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Review: make sure you understand the challenges associated with operationalizing variables o What are the advantages/disadvantages of using self-report, observational, physiological measures to operationalize a variable? Understand the 4 scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio o Be able to identify when each type of scale is being used. o What are the advantages/limitations of each? o How do you identify whether a continuous variable uses an interval or ratio scale? Know the three types of reliability and when they are most relevant? (E.g. when should you look for internal reliability vs. when should you look for inter-rater reliability?) o How can a scatterplot be used to evaluate reliability? o Are correlations related to reliability? Understand the various types of validity o What is the difference between content and construct validity? o What is the usefulness of “Known-Groups Evidence” for Predictive & Concurrent Validity? o How can someone determine whether there is convergent or discriminant validity between two variables?

*This content at the end of Chapter 5 will be on Exam 2 instead of Exam 1...