Psychology 1101Chapter2 - Psychology 1101 Chapter 2-The Research enterprise in Psychology Page 40 Psychologists and other scientists share three sets of

Psychology 1101 Chapter 2-The Research enterprise in Psychology Page 40 • Psychologists and other scientists share three sets of interrelated goals:measurement and description,understanding and prediction,and application and control. • Predictions  hypotheses • Variables—measurable conditions that can be controlled or observed in a study Page 41 • Theory—used to explain observations • A scientific theory must be testable Steps in scientific investigation • (Step 1)Formulate a testable hypothesis Page 42 • To be testable,scientific hypotheses must be formulated precisely,and the variables under study must be clearly defined. • Operational definition:actions used to measure or control a variable • (Step 2) Select the Research method and design the study Page 43 • Participants—subjects whose behavior is being studied or observed • (Step 3) Collect Data—techniques used include:direct observation,interviews and questionnaires • Advantage of survey method:info is collected quickly and easily

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• (Step 4) Analyze the Data and Draw Conclusions-researchers use statistics to analyze data • (Step 5) Report the Findings Page 44 • Two major advantages of scientific approach(clarity and precision;relative intolerance of error) Page 45 • Research methods-general strategies for conducting studies • Purpose of experiement:find out if one variable causes change in another Page 46 • Independent variable-variable that is manipulated • Dependent variable-depends on the independent variable • Experimental group-receives attention • Control group-nothing is done to this group;untampered with Page 47 • Random assignments-this occurs when subjects have an equal chance of being assigned