PS101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Observer-Expectancy Effect, Selection Bias, Random Assignment
** laurier cares
** quizzes 1 and 2 for bonus marks
Methods of Study:
Descriptive
● Observation
○ Naturalistic
■ Pros: seeing behaviour in natural setting, spontaneously produced,
ethical issues prevent other methods
■ Cons: have to wait for an event to happen, observer bias
○ Laboratory
■ Pros: as above, more controlled (control time, place, people)
■ Cons: loss of spontaneity (same as above)
● Case study (e.g. the case of H.M. → no memory because removal of hippocampus for
epilepsy)
■ Pros: select or limited populations
■ Cons: limited sample size, low generalizability
■ No Cause and Effect
The Experiment
● Theory
● Derive Hypothesis
○ A prediction, cause-effect relationship, manipulation (e.g. studying and exam
performance
● Independent Variable
○ The one you manipulate
● Dependent Variable
○ The one that you measure/record
● Experimental and Control Groups
○ Experimental (gets manipulation)
○ Control (does not get manipulation, eliminates extraneous variables → something
that changes/happens between groups that could change results)
● Operationalize Your Variables
○ Clear, attainable definition
● Pros and Cons of Experimental Methods
○ Pros:
■ Can establish cause and effect
○ Cons:
■ Selection bias (experimenter or participants… stack favours by sampling
incorrectly) → CURE = random selection / random assignment
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