PSYCH 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2.2: Selection Bias, Participant Observation, Operational Definition
Document Summary
Three main types of research methods: descriptive, correlational, and experimental: differ in the extent to which the researcher has control over the variable in the study. Variable: something in the world that can vary and that the researcher can manipulate (change), measure (evaluate), or both. Independent variable (iv): the variable that gets manipulated: dependent variable (dv): the variable that gets measured; sometimes called the dependent measure; depends on the changes produced in the iv. Operational definition: qualify (describe) and quantify (measure) variables so they can be understood objectively: enables other researchers to know precisely what variables were used, how they were manipulated, and how they were measured. Descriptive research consists of case studies, observations, and self-report methods: descriptive research involves observing behavior to describe that behavior objectively and systematically. Helps scientists achieve the goals of describing what phenomena are and (sometimes) predicting when or with what other phenomena they may occur.
