Chapter 2 Psych. Lesson 3-3.pdf - Introduction to...

Introduction to Psychology 1001
Carleton University
Textbook: Psychology: Themes and Variations, 6th Canadian Edition
Chapter 2: The Research Enterprise in Psychology
Good research needs….
- Methodology (eg. Andrew Wakefield and take blood sampled from kids at a bday party to
try and prove the measle vaccine causes autism): EDUCATE THE PUBLIC--->this
causes the public to be biased because they believed in their fears and decided that all
vaccines are bad when in reality they are not
- Theory
- Measurement
- Ethics----> when conducting a study you have to write a letter about you study and why
you're doing it in order to get approved by the ethics committee
Goals of the Scientific Enterprise
1. Measurement and description
● Develop measurement techniques that make is possible to describe behaviour
clearly and precisely (if investigating effects on emotions, figure out how to
measure emotion)
2. Understanding and prediction
● Make a hypothesis so the scientists can explain the reasons for current events
3. Application and control
● Put the information found to good use: solve problems in schools, help mental
patients in psychiatric hospitals
● Construct theories that can is testable (to provide support/ evidence to be
included in scientific journals): a theory is a system of interrelated ideas used to
explain a set of observations (using a few concepts such as natural selection and
reproductive fitness, evolutionary theory, to explain things such as mating
preferences, jealousy, aggression, etc)
● This lets psychologists go beyond describing the behaviour, to actually
understanding it and generates new predictions and new inquiry
Steps in a Scientific Investigation/ Scientific Method
1. Formulate a testable hypothesis- study of the implications of colour on psychological
functioning -----> must make sense, can’t contradict actual observation, eg. dark side of
the moon is colder, scientists accept reality the haven’t personally experienced, BUT
they use specific standards, these are the goals of science of psych
-----> state mood vs trait mood: state mood is how you are feeling throughout the day
and trait mood is our outlook on life, some have a positive mindset while others are
negative (these are more stable over time). This is important because they are
investigated in very different ways, and we can be more specific

------> turning a question into a hypothesis is called operationalization: taking the terms
of the question and expressing them in specific measures that reflect exactly what I am
interested in
------> instead of ‘memory loss’ be more specific… short term… number of words.. Etc
● Hypothesis: make prediction that most females participants will wear a red shirt
when anticipating talking to a cute guy
● Step 2: Design the study- plan experiment in which participants expect to interact
with a target whose characteristics are manipulated (cute guy, ugly guy, average
girl0
● Step 3: Collect data- find female undergrads for a study on “communication with
others”. Ask them to choose a standardized shirt to wear (red or green) during
the interaction with the anticipated partner
● Step 4: Analyze the data- calculate ratings of frequency of shirt choice (red or
green) as a function of different partner characteristics. Data turns out to be
consistent with the hypothesis that girl’s will wear a red shirt if its a cute guy, but it
doesn’t matter if the guy isn’t cute
● Step 5: Report the findings- publish report of the research