Psychology 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Confounding, Dependent And Independent Variables, Isoniazid

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Laura Fazakas

Document Summary

Steps: asking questions based on some type of observation, gathering info &formulating a testable hypothesis. Use hindsight in everyday life to explain behavior o. Flawed because there can be many possible explanations &no way of guaranteeing which is correct. Psychologists prefer testing understanding through prediction, control &theory building: good theory organizes known fact, gives rise to additional testable hypotheses, supports findings of new research &is parsimonious. Operational definition defines a concept or variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce or measure it. Social desirability bias the tendency to respond in a socially acceptable manner rather than according to how one truly feels or behaves. Reaction time how rapidly they respond to a stimulus. Unobtrusive measures a way of recording behavior so that participants are unaware that certain responses are being measured. Psychologists obtain self-reports, reports from others, directly observe using unobtrusive measures, analyze archival data, administer psychological tests &record physiological responses to measure behavior.