PSYCO105 Lecture : Jan 11 methods.docx
1 May 2012
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Science is the attempt to answer questions through the systematic collection and analysis of objective, publicly observable data (data that all observers can agree on) Lessons about research: the value of skepticism. Leads people to look more carefully and to think of alternative explanations. Scientists should be skeptical of all theories: the value of careful observation under controlled conditions. A hallmark of the scientific method: the problem of observer-expectancy effects. Observers may unintentionally communicate to subjects their expectations about how the subjects should behave, and the subjects may respond by doing what the researchers expect. Fact: an objective statement, usually based on direct observation, that reasonable observers agree is true. Theory: a hypothetical account of how and why a phenomenon occurs. Hypothesis: a testable prediction made by a theory. Types of research strategies: research design: experiments, correlational studies, and descriptive studies, setting: field and laboratory, data-collection method: self-report and observation. A technique for establishing the casual relationship between variables.
