PSY 3121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Statistical Significance

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 3121
• Professor: Kathleen Biard

Document Summary

16th and 17th centuries science began to replace religion in inquiry. Empirical observation uses the sense to gather evidence and observations are free from biases. Some unclear data slipped through, like freud and his untestable theories. Quantitative is more values and more published but the two methods are equally valid. Descriptive research answers the what , experimental answers the why . Most experiments take place in laboratories as opposed to natural settings. Changes in data can infer causation using multiple correlations (ie. australia banning guns and reducing violence shortly after) Fundamental attribution error: basing a conclusion on limited data/results. Quantitative research methods: allow researchers to study variables that they cannot manipulate. Subject variables: characteristics that participants can be used to classify participants into groups. Because nothing is manipulate this is a quasi experimental form of research and not a true experimental model.