PSYC 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Operational Definition

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1010
• Professor: Rebecca Jubis

Document Summary

Scientific method: theory general and vague, so it cannot be tested directly. Frustration causes aggression: hypothesis specific prediction derived from the theory. Get an operational definition (carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operation)). Showing kids amazing toys that they cannot play with. If frustration leads to aggression, then kids should show aggression if they are deprived of the toy. Even if your hypothesis proves to be correct it does not prove the theory because we only tested for one type of frustration and aggression our theory is still now proved. And for this reason you can never prove a theory unless you have gone through every type of variable in this case every type of frustration. A true hypothesis only increases your confidence in your theory. If your hypothesis does not support your theory, confidence decreases you can either revise and refine or drop the theory. Methodology: survey method any type of survey, phone, online, face to face.