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Psych - Methods

  1. Purpose of random assignment
    • Ensure systematic differences between conditions
    • Allows determining whether the condition caused the behaviour
  2. The independent variable
    • Variable measured to see if it has an effect on some outcome
    • Directly controlled by the experimenter (independent of anything else)
  3. Dependent variable
    • Outcome of interest which is measured
    • Depends on the independent variable
    • Usually what is being measured/explored
  4. Types of social psychology studies
    • Experimental studies
    • Observational studies
    • Archival studies
    • Surveys
  5. What is observational research
    • Observational studies
    • Observing people in social studies
    • Semiformal - Taking notes, interviews, etc
  6. Cons of observational research
    • Observations can be misleading
    • Needs further study to confirm any results
  7. Types of observational study
    • Naturalistic - Researcher unobtrusive (can be disguised or undisguised)
    • Participant observation - Researcher engages participants (can be disguised or undisguised)
    • Structured observation
    • Case studies
  8. Possible independent variables in observational research
    • None (nothing is being manipulated)
    • Researcher behaviour (how it affects participants)
  9. Archival research
    Analysis of social behaviours documented in past records
  10. Potential sources for archival research
    • Newspapers
    • Police reports
    • Hotel records
    • Social media
  11. Possible independent variables in archival research
    • None (nothing is being manipulated)
    • Researcher might control which records they use
  12. Surveys
    Asking participants questions
  13. Considerations when using surveys
    Must consider the number and type of people surveyed
  14. Possible independent variables of surveys
    • None (nothing is being manipulated)
    • And more...
  15. A value of -0.89 is a (strong/weak)? correlation with a (upward/downward)? slope
    • Strong
    • Downward (negative)
  16. Alternatives to causal relationships
    • Coincidence
    • Reverse causation (a causation exists, but it's the other way around)
    • Third variable (something else is at play)
Author
Ant
ID
357591
Card Set
Psych - Methods
Description
Updated

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