psyco 105: individual and social behaviour lecture 1: the ways and means of psychology
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PSYCO 105: Individual and Social Behaviour
Lecture 1: The Ways and Means of Psychology
What is psychology? Psychology is the scientific study
of the mind and behaviour The scientific study of the causes
of behaviour; also the application of the findings of psychological research to the solution of problems (Carlson et al., 2000)
Fields of Psychology Biological Foundations Individual and Social Behaviour Applied Psychology
Biological Foundations Physiological Psychology Psychophysiology Comparative Psychology Behaviour Analysis Behaviour Genetics Cognitive Psychology Experimental Neuropsychology
Individual and Social Behaviour Developmental Psychology Social Psychology Personality Psychology Cross-Cultural Psychology Clinical Psychology
Applied Psychology Organizational Psychology Educational Psychology Health Psychology Community Psychology Engineering Psychology (Human
Factors)
Ways of Knowing Tenacity (Faith) Authority Consensus Reason Observation
Goals of Psychology
To “understand” human behaviour Describe Explain Predict Control
Research Strategies Experimentation Correlational Studies Descriptive Studies
Experimentation Independent
VariableThe factor that is
systematically manipulated so that the researcher can examine its effect on a dependent variable.
Dependent Variable
The variable (usually a behaviour) that is affected by the independent variable.
Research Settings Laboratory Studies Field Studies
Data Collection Methods Self-Report
Questionnaires Interviews
Observational Methods Naturalistic Observation Participant Observation Tests
Ethics Informed Consent Risks and Benefits Deception Privacy, Confidentiality, and
Anonymity Special Groups
Informed Consent A description of the study should be
provided in advance, including mention of: the purpose of the research; expected benefits of the research; methods (tasks to be performed); any effects, risks or inconveniences of the procedure; rights of the participant; and any possible alternative procedures.
Risks and Benefits The onus is on the researcher to
avid or minimize risks to the subjects, both in carrying out the research and in publication of the results.
Deception Deception is a situation in which
subjects have essential information withheld and/or are intentionally misled about procedures and purposes. A thorough debriefing is particularly important in studies involving deception.
Privacy, Confidentiality and Anonymity Personal information given by the
subject will be confidential. Wherever possible, the researcher will take steps to ensure the anonymity of the subjects.
Vulnerable Groups Special care must be taken with
vulnerable groups to ensure ethical treatment (e.g., prisoners, people with mental disabilities, other cultures, etc.)
Bias in Psychological Research Random Error
Causes random variability in DV Systematic Error or Bias
Causes nonrandom variability in DV other than that caused by the IV.
Types of Bias Sample Bias Measurement Bias Observer’s (Researcher’s) Bias Subject’s Bias
Sample and Measurement Biases Sample Biases
Random assignment
Measurement Biases Validity Reliability
Observer’s and Subject’s Biases Observer-
Expectancy Effects Single-blind
studies
Subject-Expectancy Effects Double-blind
studies Placebo
Descriptive Statistics Central Tendency
Mean Median
Variability Standard deviation
Assessing Relations Correlation Coefficient
A measurement of the degree to which two variables are related.
Scatterplot A graphic representation of a
correlation; one value is plotted against the horizontal axis and the other against the vertical axis.
Inferential Statistics Statistical Significance
The likelihood that an observed relation or difference between two variables is not due to chance factors