Chapter 2 Research Methods PDF

Chapter 2 Research Methods Things I Want You to Know about Research Methods for this Class: O Process of the Scientific Method O True Experiments vs. Other types of studies O Types of Variables O How to Tell a Good Study from a Bad Study O Working With Animal Subjects O...

Chapter 2 Research Methods Things I Want You to Know about Research Methods for this Class: O Process of the Scientific Method O True Experiments vs. Other types of studies O Types of Variables O How to Tell a Good Study from a Bad Study O Working With Animal Subjects O How to Measure Behavior (Methods specific to the study of learning) O Graphing The Scientific Method O Gather Information O Hypothesize (make a testable guess) O Experiment O Analyze Results O Draw Conclusions O Re-test, replicate experiment O Theorize Experimental Research O Objective & Observable O Quantifiable O Operationally Defined O Controlled O Manipulation of Variables O Independent Variable O Dependent Variable Functional Relationship O Confounding variables  Practice Example O The state of Georgia wants to know whether implementing mandatory driver safety education programs will decrease the number of highway accidents. How might they design a study to implement this? O IVs? DVs? Operational Definitions? Confounding Variables?  Properties of Good Measurement O Reliability O A measure of how repeatable the results are O Validity O Face-Validity O Internal O External  Manipulating the Public with Bad Science O Not investigating at all O Dannon O Fabrication O Marc Hauser O Data Mining O John Bohannon O Biased Research O Isagenix O Conclusions don’t match results O Cell phones causing horns in Millennials John Oliver video  Graphing O 10 steps to follow: 1. Draw the axes 2. Label the axes (be sure to include units of measurement) 3. Determine the origin and end values 4. Set and lay out the scales 5. Plot the data points 6. Connect the data points 7. Add a legend if appropriate 8. Describe in words what you see in the graph 9. Determine if your description makes sense and matches your graph 10. If not, revise  Graphing O To see how a student’s stress level (dependent variable, y) varied with the length of a math test (independent variable, x), draw a graph Time (in Anxiety O 10 steps to follow: minutes) (measured 1. Draw the axes in Az 2. Label the axes (be sure units) to include units of measurement) 0 20 3. Determine the origin 5 56 and end values 4. Set and lay out the 10 87 scales 5. Plot the data points 15 100 6. Connect the data points 20 118 7. Add a legend if appropriate 25 129 8. Describe in words what you see in the graph 30 133 9. Determine if your description makes sense and matches your graph 10. If not, revise  Graphing O Practice O Pavlov observed that the amount a dog salivated increased, up to a point, with an increase in the number of conditioning trials Saliva (in Trials mL) 0 0 1 0.5 2 0.75 3 1.25 4 1.5 5 2  Animal Research O Why do we do it? O Animal research is especially appropriate for the study of learning and behavioral processes  Animal Research O Reasons for using animals: O Control O Genetic O Environmental Effects O Expectancy effects O Basic learning and physiological processes shared with humans O Convenience O Benefit animals as well O Ethical reasons  Animal Research O Disadvantages: O Difficult to study complex cognition with animals (e.g., language, mathematical reasoning, etc.) O Some say that animal results are not generalizable to humans O Ethical reasons  Working with Animal Subjects O Replacement – the attempt to substitute insentient materials, or if not possible, a lower species that might be less susceptible to pain and distress than a higher species O Reduction – use the minimum number of animal lives necessary to answer the research question O Refinement – reduce the incidence or severity of pain and distress experienced by laboratory animals (anesthesia, trained personnel, etc.)  Maintaining Ethical Standards O IACUC O Institutional Animal Care & Use Committees O IRB O Institutional Review Boards O APA Guidelines  Measuring Behavior O Overt Behavior vs. Covert Behavior O Direct vs. Indirect Methods O Construct – an unobservable phenomenon that is inferred because of certain behaviors (e.g., hunger, thirst, etc.) O Intervening variables O Require operational definitions O Good to have converging operations O E.g., ratings of “attraction” O Verbal O Physiological O Behavioral~  Special Equipment for Measuring Behavior O Operant Chamber (Respondent Chamber) O Artificial Behaviors O E.g., Lever Presses O Mazes O Y-Maze O Open Field Maze Measuring Behavior O Response Rate O Cumulative Recorder O Intensity O Duration O Speed  Measuring Behavior O Latency O Interval Recording O Useful with bx that doesn’t have a clear beginning or end O Don’t have to record all instances O Time-Sample Recording O Discontinuous intervals O Topography O Number of Errors  Summary O Scientific Method O Parts of a true experiment O Hypothesis, IV, DV, Operational Definitions O Properties of Good Studies (and bad ones) O Animal Research O Ways to Measure Behavior