Introduction to Experimental Psych

• Experiment


  A type of study designed specifically to answer the question of whether there is a causal relationship between two variables
• Experiments


  • The researchers manipulate, or systematically vary, the level of the independent variable
  • The researcher controls, or minimizes the variability in, variables other than the independent and dependent variable
• Experimental psychologists


  Interested in exploring theoretical questions, often by creating a hypothesis and then setting out to prove or disprove it through experimentation
• Experimental psychologists study a wide range of behavioral topics among humans and animals, including sensation, perception, attention, memory, cognition and emotion
• Experimental psychologists


  • Use scientific methods to collect data and perform research
  • Their work builds, one study at a time, to a larger finding or conclusion
  • Some researchers have devoted their entire career to answering one complex research question
• Experimental psychologists work in a variety of settings, including universities, research centers, government agencies and private businesses
• The focus of experimental psychologists' research is as varied as the settings in which they work, often influenced by personal interest and educational background
• All psychologists can be considered experimental psychologists since research is the foundation of the discipline, and many psychologists split their professional focus among research, patient care, teaching or program administration
• Experimental psychologists often devote their full attention to research — its design, execution, analysis and dissemination
• Experimental psychologists contribute work across subfields, using scientific research to provide insights that improve teaching and learning, create safer workplaces and transportation systems, improve substance abuse treatment programs and promote healthy child development
• Scientific method


  A step-by-step process that researchers can follow to determine if there is some type of relationship between two or more variables
• Psychologists and other social scientists regularly propose explanations for human behavior using the scientific method in an objective and systematic way
• Social loafing


  The phenomenon where people exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working individually, due to diffusion of responsibility

  
• The scientific method is a valid way to acquire knowledge about the world around us, in contrast to other methods like authority, tenacity, and a priori
• Scientific method


  • It has an empirical basis, using experience rather than faith as the source of knowledge
  • It offers procedures for establishing the superiority of one belief over another
• Theory


  A set of related statements that explains a variety of occurrences
• Theories in psychology


  • Provide a framework for the systematic and orderly display of data
  • Allow the scientist to generate predictions for situations in which no data have been obtained

  
• Evaluating theories


  • Parsimony (fewer statements the better)
  • Precision (mathematical equations or computer models are better)
  • Testability (ability to be disproved)
  • Ability to fit data

  
• Intervening variables


  Abstract concepts that link independent variables to dependent variables
• Intervening variables allow for more efficient and less complicated explanations of relationships between multiple independent and dependent variables
• The scientific method


  1. Make an observation

  2. Ask a question

  3. Test your hypothesis and collect data

  4. Examine the results and draw conclusions

  5. Report the results
• Applied research


  Aims at solving a specific problem
• Basic research


  Has no immediate practical goal
• Field experiments


  • Conducted in the real-world environment
  • Can be either true experiments or quasi-experiments
• Quasi-experiments


  Natural experiments where the researcher does not have true control over the independent variable
• The false consensus effect is the tendency for people to overestimate how much their own opinions, beliefs, and behaviors are shared by others
• The false consensus effect has been robustly demonstrated in research and is often attributed to a desire to view one's thoughts and actions as appropriate, normal, and correct
• Research techniques


  • Naturalistic observation
  • Case study
  • Surveys
  • Relational research
  • Contingency research
  • Correlational research