Psychological Research Methods

Introduction to Psychological Research

• A horrific incident involved Yue-Yue, a two-year-old, hit by a van in China, with 18 passersby failing to help.
• The event shocked and angered the public, it also emphasizes the complexity of bystander intervention.
• Kitty Genovese was attacked in the United States with 38 neighbors hearing the screams, yet no one came to her aid.
• Psychologists found fewer witnesses increase the chance of someone helping as it illustrates challenges for psychology to formulate useful questions and find valid answers.

The Scientific Method

• Scientists rely on it to pose questions and properly formulate answers
• It involves identifying questions, formulating explanations, carrying out research, and communicating the findings.

Theories

• These are broad explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest.
• Psychologists' theories are formal, focused, and based on careful study and knowledge.
• Diffusion of responsibility: the more bystanders present, the less personal responsibility felt to help.

Hypotheses

• A prediction is stated in a way that allows it to be tested
• This helps test the underlying soundness of the theories.
• They must be restated to allow testing usually involving creating an operational definition.
• Operational definition: translating a hypothesis into specific, testable procedures.
• Theories and hypotheses allow them to make sense of info by placing pieces in a coherent framework.

Research Methods

• Just like how there are different explanations, there's a multitude of research methods to conduct research
• Research is the systematic inquiry aimed at discovering new knowledge.

Archival Research

• This involves examining existing data like census documents, college records, and newspaper clippings to test hypotheses.
• Newspaper articles may be used to argue less helping behavior has been seen as bystander numbers go up
• Relatively inexpensive, this is because data is already collected.
• Data may not allow testing a hypothesis fully, can be incomplete or haphazardly collected.

Naturalistic Observation

• The investigator observes naturally occurring behavior without changing the situation.
• Involves recording events without intervention, offering insights into real-world behavior.
• Limitations exist in controlling factors of interest and potential for altered behavior if people know they're watched.

Survey Research

• Surveys ask a sample representing a larger population about their behaviors, thoughts, or attitudes.
• Survey methods are sophisticated, where even a small sample can infer a bigger result
• Potential challenges include non-representative samples, dishonesty, and lack of true self-awareness.

Case Study

• Case studies are in-depth investigations of individuals or small groups, often with psychological testing.
• A suicide bomber in the Middle East would encourage many psychologists to conduct a case study
• This helps improve people's understanding in general.
• The drawback is individual examination is unique, where valid generalizations for a larger population is impossible

Correlational Research

• variables can change or variety, in some way including behaviors, events, or other characteristics such as study time
• Designed to determine whether two variables happen together
• Two variables are assessed to see if they are associated, or "correlated."
• Positive Correlation implies that values of both go up and down together ie amount of study relates to test score
• Negative Correlation suggests opposite, less hours of partying and more study time, inversely related
• Correlation can range between +1.0 and -1.0
• It finds how strong the relationship was between partying and studying in general terms

Lack of Relationship

• This simply means there is no discernible connection between two variables.
• Correlation does not equal causation; correlation suggests predictability, not cause and effect.
• A study of violence in the media does not definitively state what occurs because of its relation

Experimental Research

• Cause-and-effect relationships are found
• Experiment: changing an aspect of one variable in controlled conditions to see its effect on other aspects
• Conditions are created and controlled to observe the change
• Experimental manipulation: researcher’s deliberate change in an experiment.

Groups

• The manipulated groups are either with treatment vs no treatment
• Experimental group: the one that receives the treatment
• Control group: the one that gets no treatment
• This helps eliminate other stuff that may happen
• Researcher's hair color
• Temperature during experiment

Bystander Experiment

• Independent variable: the one manipulated by experimenter
• Dependent variable: the one measured as a result
• • Random assignment*: assigning participants so their characteristics will distribute evenly into groups

Ethical Issues

• They also cannot just see what may affect people's behavior, as it could be an outright lie
• • Latané and Darley* tested things under a seizure simulation experiment to assess what people may do
• Informed consent: basic outlines of the study, as well as their right to withdrawal

Participants

• Students were readily signed up
• Non-typical in general human terms
• Psychological wellness tests and measures

What Makes A Hero?

• Dispositional Factors do play a role in when dealing with help
• When Laurie Ann Eldridge knew what to do it did depend on situational factors
• Personal characteristics in emergency situations