PS101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Social Desirability Bias, Statistical Inference, Statistical Significance
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A theory is a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations. Most theories are too complex to be tested all at once. Step 1 formulate a testable hypothesis: normally expressed as predictions, must be formulated precisely, variables clearly defined. An operational definition describes the actions/operations that will be used to measure/control a variable. Participants/subjects, are the persons/animals whose behaviour is systematically observed in a study. Step 3 collect the data: data collection techniques, which are procedures for making empirical observations and measurements. 49 key data collection techniques in psychology. Step 4 analyze the data and draw conclusions: observations are usually converted into numbers, use statistics to analyze data and to decide whether their hypothesis have been supportive. Step 5 report the findings: write up a concise summary of the study and its findings, a journal is a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry.
