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Research Methods in Psychology

Research Methods in Psychology. Welcome!. What we’ll do today. Introduce the course Talk about psychological research. Me!. 5 th year clinical psychology Ph.D. student Protective Factors in Suicide Originally from outside Philadelphia. Reaching Me. Email: ekleiman@gmu.edu

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Research Methods in Psychology

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  1. Research Methods in Psychology Welcome!

  2. What we’ll do today • Introduce the course • Talk about psychological research

  3. Me! • 5thyear clinical psychology Ph.D. student • Protective Factors in Suicide • Originally from outside Philadelphia

  4. Reaching Me • Email: ekleiman@gmu.edu • Mailbox: outside 2001 David King Hall • Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00-4:00 • 1004F David King Hall • Course website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~ekleiman/301/

  5. Some housekeeping… • Books

  6. Attendance • It’s important! • 50 out of 400 total points are from attendance. • Don’t just show up, join in!

  7. What about grading? • Lab counts 40% of total PSYC 301 grade • PARTICIPATION • In class assignments/peer review/discussion • Can’t be made up if you miss lab • Quizzes • 2 @ 10 points each • OBSERVATIONAL STUDY • PAPER 1 • FINAL PROPOSAL ** Some of this might change. Only in your favor, though.

  8. How do I get an A? • Come to class • Ask questions if you’re unsure • Do the readings and assignments

  9. What are you doing in return? • Post Powerpoints online before class* • Assignments and quizzes back in < 3 days. • Better understanding of Psychological Research. • Do the best you can do on exams and quizzes.

  10. Switching Gears… What is psychological research?

  11. The Basics • About answering questions • Whose? Yours! • Research isn’t just in the lab…

  12. Where do these questions come from? • Personal experience • Newton • A curious hunch • Galileo • Refuting past research • Beck • Building upon past research • Everyone else

  13. Descriptive Research • Observation – discover relationships in the environment • Correlation– do two things occur together? • Survey – Directly asking about thoughts, beliefs, etc.

  14. Experimental Research • Manipulating one thing to (possibly) see change in something else. • Not just for lab coats and lab rats! • Variables

  15. So what makes up research? • Variables • Something that changes or VARIES • Types of variables • Independent Variable (IV) • Changed by the experimenter • Dependent Variable (DV) • DEPENDS on the independent variable • Variables need to be MEASURED

  16. Hypothesis: The Research Question • Hypothesis: prediction • Prediction of how the IV will affect the DV • Prediction of how two or more variables relate • A good hypothesis is TESTABLE!

  17. Correlation • How two things relate • Can be positive or negative • Positive: One goes up, the other goes up • Negative: One goes up, the other goes down

  18. IV and DV Gets controlled You control IV DV Affects Increased caffeine More alertness More studying Higher grades Amount of money Mike Shannahanmakes More pissed off fans

  19. Some Example Hypotheses • IV affects DV: Petting a puppy will make you happier • IV: Petting a puppy • DV: Happiness • Testable? Yes!

  20. Some Example Hypotheses • Correlation: Warmer temperatures and increased ice cream sales correlate • Variables: Temperature and ice cream sales • Direction: Positive • Testable? Yes! • Warmer temperatures and class attendance correlate • Variables: Temperature and class attendance • Direction: Negative • Testable? Yes!

  21. Operational Definitions • Let’s go back to that puppy… • Petting a puppy will make people happier • How much caffeine? • Leads to how much happiness? 3? 4? • We need an OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

  22. Operational Definition • Defines what the concept is • Happiness • How were going to measure to concept • Self-report measure • Psychophysiological measure • Could be anything!

  23. Observational Research • Primary role: description • What are we describing? Behavior! • How do we do this? Observation! • Systematic, objective • Careful record keeping. • Full and complete picture.

  24. Observational Research • Primary goal: Generalize an observation • Small group of people (sample) must be able to represent the whole (population) • We can’t study the entire world! • Validity- how well your study supports the results • Does your study accurately support how you tell your story?

  25. Two Types of Observational Research • Naturalistic Observation • In the natural setting, not the lab! • The researcher is the “passive observer” • Many examples: • People watching, etc…

  26. Two Types of Observational Research • Intervention • Two types • Overt: The subject knows you’re watching them • Covert: The subject doesn’t know you’re watching them. • Researchers intervene and attempt to control the environment in some way. • Examples: structured observation, field study.

  27. Examples • Asch’s Conformity Study • Piaget • Doesn’t always go right: Hawthorne Effect

  28. How do we do observational research? • Operational definition • WHAT you’re going to study and HOW you’re going to measure it. • How would you define… • Friendliness on campus? • Affectionate behavior in pubic?

  29. How do we do observational studies? • How to measure • Qualitative • Evaluation of the QUALITIES • Audio tapes, recording behavior, etc. • Quantitative • Measurements, numbers • Frequency of a certain behavior, etc.

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