Lesson no 8:Research Methods in Psychology (I):Short Question
What is the first step in the scientific method? The first step is Identifying the research problem.
What is a hypothesis? A hypothesis is a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
What is the main characteristic of descriptive research methods? The main characteristic is that the researcher does not interfere with the events and acts as a passive recorder; the phenomenon is studied as it exists in nature.
What is naturalistic observation? Naturalistic observation is a type of observation without intervention where the phenomenon is studied in its natural setting without any interference by the observer.
In an experiment, what is the Independent Variable (IV)? The Independent Variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher to see its effect.
What does a positive correlation indicate? A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases.
What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment? The purpose of a control group is to provide a baseline for comparison; it does not receive the experimental treatment.
What is the key feature of a case study? A case study is an in-depth, intensive investigation of a single individual or a small group.
Why is objectivity important in the scientific method? Objectivity is important to ensure that the researcher’s personal biases, likes, or dislikes do not influence the study or its findings, thus maintaining the validity and reliability of the research.
Explain the difference between a population and a sample. A population is the entire group of interest to a researcher, while a sample is a subset of the population that is actually studied.
Why is it said that “correlation does not imply causation”? Because a correlation between two variables only shows a relationship; it does not prove that one variable causes the change in the other. A third, unmeasured variable could be influencing both.
How does participant observation differ from naturalistic observation? In participant observation, the researcher becomes an active part of the situation being studied, whereas in naturalistic observation, the researcher remains a passive, non-interfering observer.
What is the advantage of using surveys in research? Surveys allow researchers to gather information from a large number of people quickly and relatively inexpensively, making them suitable for studying attitudes, opinions, and preferences.
What is the role of the “confederate” in a field experiment? A confederate is an assistant to the researcher who behaves in a pre-planned manner to initiate an experimental condition or manipulate a social situation.
Why is reviewing related literature an important step in the research process? It helps researchers understand how others have approached similar issues, provides ideas for hypotheses, and prevents duplication of effort.
How do archival data and physical traces serve as unobtrusive measures? They provide indirect ways of collecting data without the presence or awareness of the subjects, reducing the chance of the subjects altering their behavior (reactivity).
What is the main limitation of the observational method? The main limitation is that the presence of an observer can influence the behavior of the subjects (observer effect), potentially making the behavior less natural.
A researcher wants to study the effect of music on concentration. The group that listens to music is the __________ group. Experimental group.
A study finds a correlation between ice cream sales and drowning deaths. What is a possible third variable that could explain this correlation? A possible third variable is the temperature or season (summer), which causes both increased ice cream sales and more swimming (leading to more drownings).
A psychologist secretly joins a support group to study group dynamics. What type of observation is this? This is Disguised Participant Observation.
A researcher counts the number of cigarette butts in a park’s garbage cans to estimate smoking rates. What type of unobtrusive measure is this? This is a Use Trace.
Identify the Dependent Variable (DV) in this hypothesis: “Students who get 8 hours of sleep will perform better on a memory test than students who get 4 hours of sleep.” Performance on the memory test is the Dependent Variable.
A researcher uses newspaper records from the past 50 years to study changes in crime reporting. What type of archival data is this? This is an example of using existing records (newspaper items) as archival data.
A correlation coefficient of -0.85 is found between time spent watching TV and grades. Describe this relationship. This indicates a strong negative correlation; as time spent watching TV increases, grades tend to decrease.
A company wants to know public opinion about a new product. Which research method would be most efficient for this? A Survey would be the most efficient method.
