Psychological Inquiry: Goals & Steps

• Psychological inquiry utilizes systematic methods to examine mental processes, experiences, and behavior.

Goals of Psychological Enquiry

• Description is to accurately represent a behavior or phenomenon which aids in distinguishing between behaviors.
• Prediction comes after description, understanding how behaviors relate to events, allows forecasting of behavior within a margin of error, for example, predicting exam scores.
• Explanation involves identifying causal factors/determinants of behavior conditions under which behavior occurs or doesn't occur and establishes cause-effect relationships.
• Control uses explanations to manipulate behavior by changing conditions, includes making a behavior happen, reducing, or enhancing it, or changing behavior via psychological treatments.
• Application aims to create positive changes via problem-solving research which can be the development of new theories or improving life quality with methods like yoga and meditation.

Steps in Conducting Scientific Research

• Scientific research starts with an investigator selecting a topic which is then narrowed to specific questions through reviewing studies observations and experiences.
• A hypothesis is formulated as a tentative problem answer, for example, television violence increases aggression.
• Data collection requires a blueprint research design, participant selection like children or clinical patients, data collection methods like observation or experiments, and uses tools like questionnaires.
• Drawing conclusions involves data analysis using statistical procedures like charts, diagrams, means and standard deviations to confirm a hypothesis.
• Revising research conclusions involves verifying whether conclusions support the hypothesis and revising or stating an alternative hypothesis/theory if needed.

Nature of Psychological Data

• Data is sourced to reveal covert/overt behavior plus subjective experiences.
• Context influences data from physical/social conditions to the time of behavior
• Data's character is influenced by data collection methods and respondent characteristics like surveys of individuals vs groups.
• Data must be interpreted by a researcher to get meaningful inferences.

Types of Data

• Demographic data includes name, age, and sibling count.
• Physical data includes ecological conditions and home facilities.
• Physiological data includes measurements like height, heart rate and EEG results.
• Psychological data consist of values and subjective experiences.

Observation Method

• Observation describes behavior systematically, differing from casual observation by following steps and noting findings.
• Psychologists select behaviors to observe based on the researchers interest, such as how students spend time in school.
• Selected behavior using tallies, notes, shorthand, images, or videos are recorded.
• Analyzed recordings help a good observer know what, whom, when, where, how to observe, and later analyze it.

Types of Observation Method

• Naturalistic observation involves observing in real settings without manipulation, as in hospitals or schools.

• Controlled observation takes place in labs to control determing behaviors.

• Participant observation occurs when the observer joins the group being studied, where the fact of observation may and may in change behaviors.

• Non-participant observation is observing from afar without being noticed.

Advantages and Limitations of Observation

• Advantages include studying people in natural situations and attaining firsthand data.
• Limitations include being labor intensive, time consuming, subject to bias, and influenced by values so observations should be recorded objectively.

Experimental Method

• The experimental method establishes cause and effect relationships between two or more variables which consists of manipulating one variable to study it's effect on another while maintaining other factors.
• Variables are measurable stimuli or events with different values.
• An experimental method can determine if pen length or width have an effect.
• The independent variable is manipulated strength, and the dependent variable is the variable observed for changes because of the independent variable.
• The independent/dependent variables are interdependent.
• In an experiment about smoke presence and reporting, the variable manipulated was the presence of people, with smoke being the dependent variable.
• Experimental group members are exposed to independent variable manipulation, while control groups are treated the same without the manipulation.
• Each person should be ensured equal chance within each group.
• Extraneous variables influencing dependent variables can be speed of smoke entering rooms.
• Relevant variables includes organismic variables, such as anxiety, intelligence, and situational variables, such as temperature, and humidity Controlled experimentation.

Variables to be Controlled

• Minimizing the sequence effect has 3 major types of variable.
• Elimination or applying counter balancing.

Field and Quasi Experiments

• Field experiments occur in natural settings whereas quasi experiment involves selecting, not manipulating the independent variables.
• Quasi experiments are Latin.

Pros and Cons of Experimentation

• Provides evidence of cause effect, offering a scientific look at behavior
• Not always practical, difficult to control variables and results may not translate.

Correlational Research

• Correlational research identifies relationships between variables where coefficients represent strength/direction which can be positive, negative, or zero between +1.0 to -1.0.
• Positive correlations indicate variables increase/decrease together.
• Negative correlation is when one variable increases, the other decreases.
• Zero correlation indicates no link where higher studying is related to poorer sleep.
• Positive correlates include time spent and grades.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Correlation Research

• It reveals a pattern and guides future, helps see ties but lacks insight on causality.

Survey Research

• Survey studies opinions, attitudes, and social realities.
• Survey research can include people's views on health.
• Surveys can be administered through personal interview, with structured or unstructured questions, or combinations through telephone to collect information.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Interview Research

• Obtaining advantages include depth of information, with flexibility to adapt with less literate with disadvantages like time consuming, and costly.

Questionnaire Surveys

• Predetermined questions are simple and low cost, these can be closed/open ended to find attitudes and opinions via mail.
• Respondents are asked to give reactions.

Telephone Surveys

• Phone/text communication is used. The method is fast but responses may lack depth and involve respondent reluctance.

Pros and Cons of Survey Research

• Surveys can be used to collect data from thousands cost-effectively.
• Participants may provide inaccurate due to privacy issues and the belief that the research wants to hear what should be said.

Psychological Testing

• Assessments of individual differences via tests measure human characteristics for placement or diagnosis.
• Tests have questions with possible answers which may have a fixed time or not for particular age groups which can be performance.

Characteristics of a Psychological Test

• Good tests are standardized to assess mental health/standing.
• Tests should be standard and objective, ensuring consistent with clear administration.
• A test should be the same when results are measured.
• A test should be administered at a procedure.
• Validity involves measuring what is claimed, while norms relate to average group performance.

Types of Psychological Test

• Tests can be verbal, non-verbal and assessed by mode of administration.

Case Study

• Case studies offer in depth review of an individual using psychological tests, interviews, and observations.
• Observation of 3 children help cognitive experiments with individuals and small group.
• The case studies are used in depth, analyses peoples mind with behaviours.
• Narrative can bias in general of individuals with specific experiences.

Limitations of Psychological Enquiry

• Lack of a true zero point, relative psychological tools subjective interpretations that can change.
• The Lack occurs due to scores not being objective.
• This is due to arbitrary zero.

Ethical Issues

• Informed consent, participant are explained.Voluntary participants are free to withdraw. Confidential and private, the results need to be shared.
• Right to privacy when debriefing.
• The ethics behind this study need informed consent, participants, freedom, right results and privacy.