Introduction to Psychology Quiz

Study Notes

### Introduction to Psychology

A theory describes general principles about how constructs relate to one another.
A good theory has supporting data, falsifiability, and parsimony.

A hypothesis is a specific statement that a researcher expects to observe if the theory is accurate.

Operationalization is the process of turning a construct into a measurable variable.

Preparation Stage (Steps 1-4): read, summarize, research, clarify.
Execution Stage (Steps 5-7): conduct the study as planned, analyze results, and write a report.

Many research findings cannot be replicated.
Only 39% of top journal articles replicated (61% false positive).
Contributors include small sample size, HARKing, and using statistical tests until finding favorable results.
University student samples are often “WEIRD” (White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic).

Descriptive Studies: include case studies, observational studies, self-reports, and interviews.
Correlational Studies: measure the relationship between two variables.
- Values range from –1.0 to +1.0.
- Indicate both strength and direction.
Experimental Studies: manipulate an Independent Variable (IV) to observe its effect on the Dependent Variable (DV).
- IV is what the researcher changes.
- DV is what the researcher measures.
- IV has levels (e.g., experimental group vs. control group).
- Between-group design assigns different participants to each level.
- Within-group design exposes the same participants to all levels.
- To establish causality, the IV must be the only change made.

Respect for People: Individuals should be treated as autonomous agents, and those with diminished autonomy require special protection. Participants must provide informed consent.
Beneficence: Individuals should not be exposed to harm or unnecessary risk, and benefits should be maximized.
Justice: Participants should be treated fairly without bias. The study's benefits should be distributed to the population from which participants were selected.