The Scientific Method

1. Observe a phenomenon
2. Formulate a prediction (hypothesis)
3. Test through empirical research
4. Draw Conclusions
5. Evaluate theory

Variables

Any event, situation, behavior, or individual characteristic that varies

Goals of Psychology

1. Describe behavior (bx) = descriptive design

Describe one or more variables as they exist naturally
2. Predict behavior = correlational design
Determine if 2 variables are related to each other
3. Determine causes of bx = experimental design
Determine that 1 variable causes changes in another variable

Scientific Research Designs

1. Descriptive Reseaerch Design

o Goal: describe variables as they exist
2. Correlational Research Design
o Goal: describe the relationship between 2 variables and to

measure the strength of the relationship (predict)

3. Experimental Research Design
o Goal: establish cause and effect relationship between variables

Descriptive Research Design

Involves measuring and describing a variable as it exists naturally

Used to identify or describe the general state of things

Types of Descriptive Studies

1. Observational research design

2. Survey research design
o Uses questionnaires to obtain a description of peoples bx
3. Case study research design
 o In-depth study and detailed description of a single individual (i.e.

multiple personality)

Observational Research Design

Researcher observes and systematically records behaviors in order to

describe them
1. Naturalistic observation:
o Observing and recording bx in a natural setting w/o intervening

in any way
o Provides insight into real-world bx
2. Participant observation
o Researcher engages in the same activities as the people being

observed in order to observe their behavior

The Correlational Design

Observe (measure) two variables as they exist naturally for a set of

individuals and see whether there is a relationship

Correlations are also used for predictive purposes

Correlational Relationships

Do the variables co-vary?

1. Positive linear relationship (positive correlation)
o Yes, as the values in one variable increase, the values in the

other variable increase

o Yes, as the values in one variable decrease, the values in the

other variable decrease

2. Negative linear relationship (negative correlation)
o As the values in one variable decease, the values in the other

variable increase
o AS the values in one variable increase, the values in the other

variable decrease
The Language of Correlations: Correlation Coefficients

A correlation coefficient can range from 1.00 to -1.00 and contains two

pieces of information
1. The direction of the relationship (the sign)
o Positive or negative
2. The strength of the relationship (the number) (magnitude)
o The further away from zero, the stronger the relationship

The Experimental Design

Goal is to establish a cause and effect relationship between variables

Show that changes in the value of one variable are caused by changes

in the other variable

1. Manipulate one variable (setting/controlling the values of that

variable to at least 2 values)

2. Measure a second variable
3. Control of other, extraneous variables

The experimental Method

1. The researcher manipulates one of the variables and then measures

the second variable to determine whether or not the manipulation

caused any changes

2. The researchers control extraneous variables
Extraneous variables
o Variables not of interest that may influence results
Confounding variables
o Extraneous variables not controlled
Constants
o Controlled extraneous variables

Independent and Dependent Variables

Independent variable
o Variable manipulated by the experimenter
o Must be manipulated at two or more levels or treatment

conditions
 Dependent Variable
o Variable that is measured for changes
o Measurement or score obtained for each participant

Review

Experimental vs Correlational
o Experimental
One Variable is MANIPULATED and the other is MEASURED
Shows causation
o Correlational
Observe relationships, no manipulation
Used for prediction