8 - issues in research

• Psychology is known as the science of behavior.
• As a psychologist, we need to take a series of scientific approach in order to understand human behavior.
• Our understanding about psychological processes must be based on scientific evidence through different types of researches conducted by the researchers.
• As a psychologist, we are highly depended on scientific methods when we conduct a psychological research.
• Harry Harlow and his team conducted one of the famous experiments in psychological field, known as Monkey studies.
• Scientific research methods are the methods for the psychologists to enhance our understanding and knowledge of all area of psychology.
• Authority is a way of knowing that involves relying on the knowledge of others, such as knowing that a high white blood cell count indicates infection because that's what your high school biology teacher said.
• Different ways of observing behavior may result in different observations and help better understand how behaviors occur.
• Intuition is a way of knowing that involves suddenly recognizing the solution to a problem, such as solving a crossword puzzle.
• Observation is a way of knowing that involves collecting and analyzing data, such as the results of a survey indicating that most Americans get an average of 6 - 8 hours of sleep per night.
• Deduction is a way of knowing that involves reasoning from facts to conclusions, such as determining the direction you are facing based on the sun setting to your right.
• If researchers would like to investigate about memory, then, the data collection through formal laboratory experiments designed is essential to provide the comprehensive, and yet accurate information.
• If psychologists are interested to understand pertaining attitudes and social behaviors issues, sometimes data collection under controlled laboratory conditions could be necessary to be arranged; at other times, the psychologist could collect the data through survey in the community, or conducting observation session in order to record people’s behavior in the natural settings.
• Prediction in psychology means the expecting certain behavior would appear before the stimulants occur, which is the capacity to understand particular behavior could occur due to the others conditions or stimulants which is related and correlated and been identified.
• Surveys and interviews are commonly applied to collect descriptive information, such as attitudes and opinions.
• In order to observe young children’s reaction under different conditions or situation, human development psychologist could conduct the observation session in the laboratory setting or in real-world settings.
• Case studies are generally applied in clinical, organizational, and forensic psychology to make inferences about the origins of psychological disorders, developmental processes, and the influence of life events.
• Correlational and quasi-experimental research designs are applied in order to predict behavior, where researchers look for a statistical relationship between different events, behaviors, or experiences.
• Control in psychology means application of what has been learned about behavior, it will be possible to apply our knowledge to change or improve particular behavior once the behavior had been justified via experimentation.
• Explanation in psychology allows the researcher to proceed for a further step, it is important to explain the particular behavior, as well as the reason to cause the behavior.
• Field studies are observational studies towards a group of people (or animals) in real-life settings, allowing observers to collect descriptive information pertaining to different types of social and cultural experiences, including the development of children, organizational structure and function, and social customs.
• For Clinical psychologists, they may gather data by self-administered psychological tests or observing the personality functioning during sessions with patients.
• Regardless the data come from laboratory experiments setting, real world settings, or therapy sessions, all psychologists are using carefully planned and scientific criteria to gather and evaluate their data.
• The four main objectives of research conducted in psychology are description, prediction, explanation, and control.
• The academic discipline of psychology is different from other disciplines in its method of investigating certain topics.
• The intention of the researcher in testing the effects of play therapy is to modify the behavior and change behavior.
• Scientific method is a procedure for acquiring and testing knowledge through systematic observation or experimentation.
• Psychologists conduct behavioral research through careful and systematic observations, as it is the best way to make certain information and knowledge they have about behavior accurate.
• Intuition is a way of knowing about the world by relying on common sense.
• Commonsense psychology is a method of gathering and applying non-scientific data to manage challenges in daily life.
• Empirical method is a procedure for obtaining information based on observation.
• Play therapy is a type of therapy that can be tested against another type of therapy or no therapy at all.
• Psychologists are committed to studying mental life and behavior using scientific method.
• Observation is a way of knowing about the world by relying on what one observes.
• Poverty crisis is an example of a situation where observation is the best way to find facts.
• Everyday, we gather, analyze, and apply psychological data to understand the behavior of others as a guide to our own behavior.
• Authority is a way of knowing about the world by relying on a knowledgeable person or group.
• Earth is round is an example of a fact learned from authority figures.
• Many cases of observations collected by different researchers may conflict, but it is an important part of the process.
• Description in psychological science refers to a systematic, objective and unbiased steps towards the observed characteristics of behaviors.