UNIT 1 –
NATURE & SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY
MODULE 1/ Lesson 4:
Psychology as Science
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Define the meaning of Psychology, as well as
understand its importance and goals.
Identify
how is the scientific method applied in
psychological research;
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY: GOALS
PSYCHOLOGY: IMPORTANCE
1. scientific research is use to better understand how
people learn, interpret events and make decisions.
2. They then translate that knowledge into techniques to
help people make smarter choices in their daily lives.
3. It help people overcome the challenges that impede
them from making good decisions and better choices.
4. Psychological science assist individual tap into their
potential and help them execute behaviour at prime
level.
PSYCHOLOGY: AS A SCIENCE
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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honey_Bee_Happy_Dance_%287075103325%29.jpg
Scientific Method
It is fundamentally a step-by-step process
that is used to determine if there is some
type of relationship between two or more
variables.
It ensures that results are empirical, or
grounded in objective, tangible evidence
that can be observed time and time
again, regardless of who is observing.
The Process of Scientific Research
THEORIES AND HYPOTHESES IN THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XToWVxS_9lA&t=6s
Key Components of the Scientific Method
• Fairness: implies that all data must be considered when
evaluating a hypothesis
• Falsifiable: It should be possible to disprove a theory or
hypothesis by experimental results
• Predictability: implies that a theory should enable us to make
predictions about future events
• Verifiability: an experiment must be replicable by another
researcher
Categories of Psychological Research
Descriptive research: research studies that do not test specific
relationships between variables; they are used to describe
general or specific behaviors and attributes that are observed
and measured
Correlational research: tests whether a relationship exists between
two or more variables
Experimental research: tests a hypothesis to determine cause and
effect relationships
Common Types of Descriptive Research
Clinical or case study: observational research study focusing on
one or a few people
Naturalistic observation: observation of behavior in its natural
setting
Survey: list of questions to be answered by research participants
allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of
people. Surveys use a sample, or representative group, to learn
more about a population
Other types of Descriptive Research
Archival research: method of research using past records or data sets
to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting
patterns or relationships
Cross-sectional research: compares multiple segments of a
population at a single time
Longitudinal research: studies in which the same group of individuals is
surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time
CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
Correlation means that there is a relationship between two or more
variables. We can measure correlation by calculating the correlation
coefficient, a number from -1 to +1 that indicates the strength and
direction of the relationship between variables.
http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:mfArybye@7/Analyzing-Findings
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: PARTICIPANTS
Basic design involves two groups:
experimental group
control group
Random samples ensure that the groups represent the larger population
researchers are studying
Random assignment to control or experimental groups prevents differences
between the two groups other than the independent variable being tested
http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:mfArybye@7/Analyzing-Findings.
CONSIDERATIONS
• A clear operational definition or description of how we will
measure our variables is important so people can
understand the results and the experiment can be
replicated
• Reliability: consistency and reproducibility of a given result
• Validity: accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is
designed to measure
INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES
http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:mfArybye@7/Analyzing-Findings
PREVENTING BIAS IN EXPERIMENTS
Double blind studies where researchers and participants do not know which
group received the treatment prevent experimenter bias and control for
the placebo effect in participants
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/statistics-probability/designing-
studies/experiments-stats-library/v/introduction-to-experiment-design
The placebo effect is the influence of people’s expectations or beliefs on
their experience in a given situation
http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:mfArybye@7/Analyzing-Findings
DISTRIBUTIONAL THINKING
Data vary. More specifically, values of a variable vary
Analyzing the pattern of variation, called the distribution of the
variable, often reveals insights
It is important to look beyond averages and medians
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-ecology/hs-population-
ecology/a/population-size-density-and-dispersal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Statistics_Edit-a-thon#/media/File:Fisher_iris_versicolor_sepalwidth.svg.
GENERALIZABILITY AND CAUSE AND EFFECT
Random sampling is necessary to generalize results from our sample
to a larger population, and random assignment is key to drawing
cause-and-effect conclusions. With both kinds of randomness,
probability models help us assess how much random variation we
can expect in our results, in order to determine whether our results
could happen by chance alone and to estimate a margin of error.
http://nobaproject.com/modules/statistical-thinking
THE STRUCTURE OF A PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH ARTICLE
The American Psychological Association (APA) creates
guidelines for how articles are structured which include:
Abstract
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-write-an-abstract-2794845
https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476096
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