Video Notes 1.docx

Psychology is a science - Basic assumption: - Behavior and mental events are governed by some lawful order - Important Terms: - Theory: a set of interrelated ideas to try to explain data to form a coherent story - Hypothesis: Specific prediction about the results o...

Psychology is a science - Basic assumption: - Behavior and mental events are governed by some lawful order - Important Terms: - Theory: a set of interrelated ideas to try to explain data to form a coherent story - Hypothesis: Specific prediction about the results of a particular study (Only one study) - Variables: Anything in a research study that can change - Operational Definition: defining your variables, particular way to measure an abstract variable - Replication: repeat many studies to figure out if your data is reliable What is an Experiment: - Two different approaches to Empirical studies - Experimental research methods - Descriptive and correlational research methods - Experiment: - Manipulation of one variable under controlled conditions so that resulting changes in another variable can be observed - Only method that allows a cause and effect conclusion - Types of variables - IV: condition or event being **manipulated** - DV: condition or event being **measured** - Accidental variables: variables the researcher didn't mean to be in the experiment - Extraneous variables: something that affects the study that wasn't supposed to be there, but affects both groups equally - Confounding Variables: something we didn't mean to be part of the study that only really effects one group and not the other - Types of groups - Experimental group: subjects who receive the change in the independent variable - Control group: similar subjects who do not receive the change in the independent variable - Logic: - Two groups alike in all aspects, except for the manipulation of the IV - Manipulate IV for one group - Resulting differences in the two groups must be due to the IV - Benefits and Drawbacks - Advantages: - Can draw conclusions about cause and effect - Disadvantages: - Artificial nature of experiments - Ethical and practical issues