PSYC 260 Lecture Notes - Naturalistic Observation, Operational Definition, Leon Festinger
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Research methods: helps us understand the terminology and the field, provides insight to conclusions of studies, makes you an educated consumer of research to get rid of: Knew it all along" effect: everything seems obvious psychology as an empirical science. Sometimes we have conflicting evidence that we need science to help us figure it out ex. Theory: organized set of principles that can be used to explain observed phenomena. Hypothesis: tentative explanation for a set of facts that can be tested with further investigation. 1. records behavior a. b. c. (beeper questions that come up randomly throughout the day) Up close and immediate watching people on a bus. From a distance and at a delay experience sampling methods. Good way to understand how people behave in natural setting. Operational definition: a description of exactly how variables are measured or manipulated. Need to be clear about what talking to a stranger" means.