chapter 1 psychological science descriptive research

Chapter 1

Psychological Science

Descriptive Research

Types of Psychological Research

Descriptive ResearchCorrelational ResearchExperimental Research

Types of Psychological Research

Descriptive ResearchCorrelational ResearchExperimental Research

Types of Psychological Research

Descriptive ResearchSurveyCase StudyNaturalistic Observation

Correlational ResearchExperimental Research

Description

Survey Commonly used in both descriptive and

correlational research technique for gathering the self-reported

attitudes or behaviors of people usually by questioning a representative, random

sample of people from a defined population

Aspects of A Survey

Population all the cases in a group, from which samples may be

drawn for a study

Sampling How respondents are selected may affect the

outcome of a survey A Random Sample is a sample that fairly represents a

population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Aspects of A Survey

Wording Effect How a question is worded and framed may

affect the outcome of a survey False Consensus Effect

tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

When wording effect attacks!

End Women’s Suffrage!

Since 9% said that Nader was the only candidate worth voting for, one would have expected him to get at least 9% of the vote in the 2000 election. He only got about 3%. What happened?

There was a biased statistic because the sample wasn't randomly drawn from the population.  A disproportionate number of Nader supporters participated in the poll in order to make him appear more viable as a candidate.

Can we conclude that United, American, and Delta are the worst airlines and Alaska, Southwest, and Continental are the best?

Solution:  No.  The airlines that had the most complaints also had the most passengers.

This clipping from US News and World Report on 1/29/01 suggests that Alaskans are terrible parents.  Is this true?

Solution:  The difference in the abuse rates probably stems from different definitions for abuse in the various states.  For example, Alaska (the "worst" state) says that a child is abused if his or her health or welfare is harmed or threatened.  Pennsylvania (the "best" state) defines it as a recent act or failure to act.

Can we conclude from the following diagram that it's safer to drive while under the influence?

Solution:  No.  Drunk drivers have a fatality risk 7.66 times the norm, while non-drunk drivers have a risk only about .6 of the norm.  Only a very small percentage of drivers in New York City drive while under the influence, but they account for a disproportionate number of accidents.

The following statistics suggest that 16-year-olds are safer drivers than people in their twenties, and that octogenarians are very safe.  Is this true?

Solution:  No.  As the following graph shows, the reason 16-year-old and octogenarians appear to be safe drivers is that they don't drive nearly as much as people in other age groups. 

Surveys

Description

Case Study Psychologists

study one or more individuals in great depth in the hope of revealing things true of us all

Is language uniquely human?

Description

Naturalistic Observation observing and

recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation