Practical Issues in Design and Implementation

• What do practical issues in psychological research focus on?

  Factors like sampling, variables, and procedures
• Why is objectivity important in psychological research?

  It ensures data can be accurately analyzed
• How does biological psychology study aggression?

  By using brain scans like PET scans
• What did Raine et al. find in their study of NGRI murderers?

  Glucose metabolism differences in the brain
• What is a strength of using brain scans in research?

  They produce credible and objective quantitative data
• What is a weakness of objective data in Raine's study?

  It is reductionist and lacks social context
• What does internal validity refer to in psychological research?

  Direct manipulation of the independent variable
• Why is operationalizing variables important?

  It allows for establishing cause and effect relationships
• How did Milgram operationalize obedience in his study?

  By measuring volts given to shock a learner
• What is a strength of Milgram's obedience study?

  It measures obedience objectively with quantitative data
• What is a weakness of reducing obedience to shocking learners?

  It overlooks situational factors influencing behavior
• What are the applications of understanding obedience in psychology?

  • Hierarchies in schools to encourage obedience
  • Understanding authority figures' influence on behavior
• What does reliability refer to in psychological research?

  The consistency of results across studies
• Why is reliability important in research?

  It allows for accurate comparisons and judgments
• How did Baddeley study recall in cognitive psychology?

  By testing word order recall with interference
• What is a strength of Baddeley's study?

  It used a standardised procedure for replication
• What is a weakness of conducting a lab study like Baddeley's?

  It has low ecological validity in real-life settings
• What are the applications of Baddeley's findings on memory encoding?

  • Use mind maps for better long-term memory
  • Encourage synoptic links instead of re-reading notes
• What does generalisability refer to in psychological research?

  Findings that apply to a wider population
• Why is generalisability important in research?

  It ensures findings are representative of humans
• How did Pavlov conduct research on learning theories?

  By using dogs in classical conditioning studies
• What is a weakness of using animal studies for generalisability?

  Humans have more complex brain structures
• What is a strength of conducting research in labs?

  It controls situational variables effectively
• What are the applications of classical conditioning in psychology?

  • Systematic desensitisation for treating phobias
  • Associating phobic stimuli with relaxation techniques
• What does subjectivity refer to in psychological research?

  Being influenced by personal opinions and beliefs
• Why is subjectivity a concern in clinical psychology?

  It can lead to biased interpretations of data
• What was the aim of Rosenhan's study?

  To investigate psychiatric hospital admissions
• What is a strength of the qualitative data in Rosenhan's study?

  It provided detailed insights into patient experiences
• What is a weakness of publication bias in Rosenhan's study?

  It omitted positive experiences of a pseudopatient