Psychology Research Methods

Research Ethics

• Involves protecting participants' rights and welfare in research studies
• Key principles:
  • Informed consent: participants must understand the study and give voluntary consent
  • Confidentiality: protecting participants' identities and data
  • Anonymity: ensuring participant data is not traceable
  • Risk-benefit analysis: minimizing risks and maximizing benefits
  • Debriefing: providing participants with information about the study after completion

Publication Bias

• The tendency for researchers to only publish positive results, leading to:
  • Inflated effect sizes and misleading conclusions
  • Overestimation of treatment effects
  • Delayed discovery of null results
  • Lack of transparency and accountability

Replication Crisis

• The inability to replicate previous research findings, attributed to:
  • Methodological flaws
  • Small sample sizes
  • P-hacking (manipulating data to achieve statistical significance)
  • Lack of transparency and openness in research practices
• Consequences:
  • Erosion of trust in scientific research
  • Waste of resources on non-replicable studies
  • Delays in advancing scientific knowledge

Evidence-Based Practice

• The integration of:
  • Best available research evidence
  • Clinical expertise
  • Patient values and preferences
• Aims to:
  • Improve treatment outcomes
  • Enhance patient care
  • Reduce healthcare costs

Critical Thinking in Psychology

• The systematic evaluation and analysis of information to form a judgment
• Involves:
  • Identifying biases and assumptions
  • Evaluating evidence and arguments
  • Avoiding emotional reasoning
  • Considering alternative explanations
• Essential for:
  • Evaluating research claims
  • Developing evidence-based practices
  • Avoiding pseudoscientific practices

Pseudoscience

• Claims presented as scientific, but lacking empirical evidence and scientific rigor
• Characteristics:
  • Lack of empirical evidence
  • Unfalsifiable claims
  • Lack of peer review
  • Overemphasis on confirmation bias
• Examples:
  • Astrology
  • Homeopathy
  • Phrenology

Logical Fallacies

• Errors in reasoning and argumentation
• Examples:
  • Ad hominem attacks
  • Straw man arguments
  • False dichotomies
  • Appeal to authority
  • Confirmation bias
• Importance of recognizing logical fallacies:
  • Avoiding flawed reasoning
  • Evaluating arguments critically
  • Developing well-supported conclusions

Importance of Transparency and Scepticism in Science

• Transparency:
  • Open data and materials
  • Detailed method descriptions
  • Publicly available code and protocols
• Scepticism:
  • Questioning assumptions and findings
  • Evaluating evidence critically
  • Avoiding confirmation bias
• Consequences of lacking transparency and scepticism:
  • Research misconduct
  • Lack of reproducibility
  • Erosion of trust in science