PSY 313 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Dream Interpretation, Likert Scale, Operational Definition
Document Summary
Theory | idea about how the world works based on empirical data; explanation of how scientific laws fit together. Describes how constructs are related: construct: a concept of interest; not directly observable (stress, love, attention, memory, knowledge, use hypothesis: specific idea about relation between constructs derived from theory (must be testable/refutable) Psychological theories: set of integrated statements that explain behavior (describe, predict, control/change) Operational definition: specifics how each construct will be measured; turns constructs (not directly observable) into something measurable/observable. Ex. heart rate, height, cholesterol level, reaction time to press a button. 3 primary research methods: descriptive research: not concerned with relationships between variables but rather a description of the variables. Ex. how many drive drunk on college campus, how aggressive 3rd graders are. Experimental research: establishing a cause-effect relationship between 2 or more variables. Ex. does sleeping longer lead to better memory. Manipulate iv to measure the outcome (dv) tests hypothesis, has constructs and operational definitions.
