Week 1 - good research practice | measurement and numbers

• Describe the order of the research process


  Initial observations, generate theory, generate hypothesis, collect data, analyse data
• What is a measurement error?


  The discrepancy between the value we are trying to achieve and the number we use to represent the value
• Variables can be categorical, for example:


  Binary, nominal, ordinal
• Measurements can be continuous, such as:


  interval variables or ratio variables
• What are the three types of research?


  Correlational, cross-sectional, experimental
• What does a histogram do?


  Shows the frequency of each value is the data set
• What is a normal distribution


  A symmetrical distribution, bell-curved, where the peak is equal to the mode, mean, and median
• What are the two types of deviations in a normal distribution?


  Kurtosis - heaviness of the tails

  • leptokurtic - heavy tails
  • platykurtic - light tails

  Skew

  • Positive - goes left
  • negative - goes right
• What are z-scores 


  standardising scores with respect to the other scores in the group, expressing the score in terms of how many SDs it is from the mean, the distribution of z-scores has a mean of 0, SD of 1
• What are natural numbers?


  Represented by N, positive integers
• What are integers


  Represented by Z, whole numbers
• What are real numbers?


  Represented by R, numbers, can be decimals, can be irrational, e.g. pi
• What are complex number?


  Represented by C, use i
• What are rational numbers?


  Represented by Q, can be represented as a fraction
• What is a solvable problem

  testable theory (potentially falsifiable)
• What makes a theory falsifiable: Having specific predictions which can be contradicted

  
  

  Operationalisation
• Why is falsification important? Because by falsifying theories we disprove them and ensure that they develop or that new theories are created based on new information therefore it allows psychology to develop as a science
• What are operational definitions: Concepts stated in terms of observable operations that can be measured
• Why is operationalisation important? To ensure that members of the public domain can also study the hypothesis
• What are the measures of central tendancy? Mode(can be multimodal or bimodal), mean, median
• What are the measures of dispersion? Standard deviation, range, interquartile range, z-scores
• what are three features of science

  • employs methods of systematic empiricism
  • aims for knowledge that is publicly verifiable
  • seeks problems that are empirically solvable and yield testable theories
• why is hostility directed towards psychology

  new science studying "folk wisdom"
• falsifiability definition


  has potential to be proven wrong or limited
• why is falsifiability important

  allows for the development of theories and science
• operational definitions meaning


  definitions of concepts stated in terms of observable operations that can be measured
• why can't psychology answer essentialist questions

  new research can always come out that disproves current research, can only explain our current understanding of concepts