Psych 1 Discussion Section

Week 3

Quiz 2

O Please clear your desk of everything except for a pen or pencil and a piece of paper.

O No talking or use of cell phones or electronics.

O Write your name, section number (or section time), and date on the piece of paper

1. Experimental research is the only way to truly determine causation.

a. Trueb. False

2. A study in which the experimenter but not the participant knows the value of the independent variable is called a(n) __________ study.

a. counterbalancedb. single-blindc. subjectived. double-blinde. objective

3. Which of the following is not one the of 5 steps for conducting research?

a. Identifying the problemb. Designing an experimentc. Performing the experimentd. Attending a conference e. Communicating the results

4. An operational definition:

a. is a technique used to measure a dependent variableb. guarantees that all subjects in a study

will be treated equallyc. describes a variable by how it will be

measured or manipulatedd. is a form of nominal fallacye. describes the effect of the independent

variable

5. When doing research with human participants it is important to comply with all of the following

principles except:

a. Confidentialityb. Informed Consentc. Misleading subject d. Debriefing of study to subjecte. Both C and D

6. Which variable is measured in an experiment?a. The relational variableb. The independent variablec. The causal variabled. The dependent variablee. The confounding variable

7. A correolation coefficient of -0.13 indicates: a. No Correlationb. A weak negative correlationc. A weak positive correlationd. A strong negative correlatione. A strong positive correlation

8. Which variable is manipulated in an experiment?a. The relational variableb. The independent variablec. The causal variabled. The dependent variablee. The confounding variable

9. Which is NOT an example of a Descriptive Statistic?a. Statistical significanceb. Standard deviationc. Varianced. Meane. Median

10. A researcher wants to know if taking aspirin will decrease heart attacks. Subjects are given 50 mg, 100 mg or 200 mg of aspirin or a sugar pill, then the number of heart attacks are recorded. What is the independent variable?

a. Aspirinb. Type of medicationc. Heart attacksd. Amount of medicatione. Severity of heart attack

Structuralism:

You show up for a one hour psychology research experiment and the experimenter asks you to watch a computer screen where various pictures of fruit are displayed. The experimenter asks you after each image to describe the basic, elementary, components of your visual experience that you feel within yourself.

This type of psychological approach is known as what?

Experiment

Introspection: What is Introspection?

“Looking within” Observation of stimuli and then describing their experience, by only reporting the elementary data

Introspection is a method for studying psychology which was first developed in what approach/school of thought for studying psychology?

the structure of the mind, the science of immediate experience

What is Structuralism?

Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)

Who came up with the system of experimental psychology known as Structuralism?

Father of Psychology

Known as the father of what?

This type of researcher focuses on the processes of conscious activity such as learning and perception.

Functionalist

What is Functionalism?An approach to understanding species’ behaviors and other processes in terms of their biological significance; this approach stresses the usefulness of such processes with respect to survival an reproductive success.

Functionalism grew from the new perspective on nature which was established by what researcher?

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

What was Darwin’s Theory?Evolution occurred in response to the natural selection of inheritable traits

Darwin obtained evidence that behavior could be inherited; this publication was called?

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872)

What is the Psychodynamic Theory?Is the systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behavior.

Who came up with the Psychodynamic Theory?Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

If Freud’s Psychodynamic theory involved structures then how was/is it different from Structuralism?

-His hypothetical mental operations included many that were unconscious (not available for introspection)

- Freud emphasized function; his mental structures served biological drives and instincts and reflected out animal nature.

Unfortunately there has been a recent increase in the number of cars hitting undergraduate bicyclists. A concerned researcher wants to help so he observes how fast the cars are driving through campus. He then posts a sign warning motorists about bicyclists and observes how fast the motorists are driving after the warning sign. This researcher might be called what type of psychologist? (from what ist movement)

Behaviorist

What is Behaviorism?A movement in psychology that asserts that the only proper subject matter for scientific study in psychology is observable behavior.

Who are some of the important behaviorists?

Edward Thorndike Law of EffectIvan Pavlov (1849-1936) John B. Watson (1878-1958)

Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939)

B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)

Types of Research

• What are the 3 basic types of research?

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1. Naturalistic or Clinical Observation2. Correlational Study3. Experimental Research

Naturalistic or Clinical Observation

• Goal: Observe and record behavior– Note: Cannot prove causation or explain behavior– But can still reveal important information, such as describing

behavior

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What is the goal of Naturalistic or Clinical Observation?

What are the Types/Methods used for Naturalistic or Clinical Research?

Case StudiesSurveys & InterviewsNaturalistic Observation

Observation of people or animals in their natural environment

What is Naturalistic Observation?

Case Studies

• In-depth look at a single individual

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What are Case Studies?

Advantages?Gain lots of information about a particular (often rare) phenomenon

Disadvantages?Difficult to generalize to othersMay not be reliable

Example: Phineas Gage?A railroad construction foreman now remembered for his incredible survival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for that injury's reported effects on his personality and behavior—effects so profound that friends saw him as "no longer Gage."

Surveys

• Wording Effects– How questions are worded on a survey can change how participants respond

• Ex. Should cigarette ads and pornography be allowed on television? (not allowed vs. forbid)

• Ex. “If the situation arose, how likely would you be to report a crime?”– Problem: What type of crime?

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What is a Survey?

A study of people’s responses to standardized questions

Observations of the behaviors of people or other animals in their natural environment.

Observations of behaviors of people or animals while they are undergoing diagnosis or treatment

The examination of relations between two or more measurements of behavior or other characteristics of people or other animals

Experimental ResearchWhat is, (or the goal of) Experimental Research?

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What is a Independent Variable?

A study in which the researcher changes the values of an independent variable and observes whether this manipulation affects the existence of cause-and-effect relations among variables

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment as a means of determining cause-and-effect relations.

What is a Dependent Variable?The variable measured in an experiment and hypothesized to be affected by the independent variable.

Example ?

James is setting up an experiment: in it he deprives undergraduates of sleep (0 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours) every night for a week before their psychology exam and then looks at their test scores on a 100 point scale.

What is the Independent Variable?

What is the Dependent Variable?

Sleep Deprivation, amount (0 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours)

Average Mean Test Score (0 to 100)

What is the Control Group?

What is the Experimental Group?

Undergraduates who were not deprived of any sleep 0 hours

Undergraduates who were deprived of sleep 4 hours and 8 hours

A current is classified as a Slow Inward Current (SIC) if it has rise time greater than 18 to 20 ms AND an amplitude greater than 50 pA., when recorded in the presence of TTX and NBQX.

This description of when/how to classify a current as a SIC is an important example of what when setting up an experiment?

Operational Definition

What is an operational definition?

Definition of a variable in terms of the operations the researcher performs to measure or manipulate it.

Debra is setting up an experiment: She gives 30 slightly depressed undergraduates 20 mg per day of either Zoloft, Placebo, or Prozac for 3 months. At the end of the three months they take the same survey of 20 questions assessing depression level (1 ‘severely depressed’ to 20 ‘way to happy for society’) which they took at the beginning of the study before treatment. The undergraduates are said to have improved if they score higher than their original score.

What is the Independent Variable?

What is the Dependent Variable?

Medication treatment (Zoloft, Placebo, or Prozac)

Average Mean Depression Level Score on Survey (0 to 20)After treatment vs. before treatment

What is the Control Group?

What is the Experimental Group?

Depressed undergraduates assigned to the Placebo Group

Depressed undergraduates assigned the Zoloft or Prozac Group

Professor X wanted to see who had better memory, men or women. He tested 1000 Students by showing them a list of words for 30 seconds, and then tested to see how many words they remembered.

What is the Independent Variable?

What is the Dependent Variable?

Gender Groups are selected based on a predetermined factor

# words recalled # of words recalled is being directly tested)

Since Professor X is working with humans what must he do before subjecting the participants to his experiment?

Professor X should explain to the participants what the experiment is about and any risks or benefits the experiment might have in order that the person has all the information they need before agreeing to participate in the experiment.

Informed Consent

Bias

Sometimes referred to as “demand characteristics”• Occurs when people’s expectations about how they should act or

feel changes their behavior or feelings

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What kind of Bias can you have in your experiment?

Participant Bias

Experimenter Bias

Debra is setting up an experiment: She gives 30 slightly depressed undergraduates 20 mg per day of either Zoloft, Placebo, or Prozac for 3 months. At the end of the three months they take the same survey of 20 questions assessing depression level (1 ‘severely depressed’ to 20 ‘way to happy for society’) which they took at the beginning of the study before treatment. The undergraduates are said to have improved if they score higher than their original score.

Participant Bias?

How to fix it?

Medication treatment (Zoloft, Placebo, or Prozac)

Double Blind Experiment Setup

How to fix it?

Experimenter Bias?

Single Blind Experiment Setup

Treat subjects getting Zoloft or Prozac differently from Placebo Group

Clever Hans

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This researcher is know as the father of?

Charles Darwin Modern Evolutionary Theory

William James

Rene Descartes

Functionalism

Structuralism

DualismRationalism

Modern Philosophy

Physiological Psychology

Modern Psychology

PsychologyWilhelm Wundt

Functionalism

Phillippe Pinel Psychiatry

Edward Thorndike

Ivan Pavlov

John B. Watson

Margaret Floy Washburn

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorism

BehaviorismBehaviorismBehaviorism

Behaviorism

Video Clip

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZdGSh8jGgU