theory testable - missouri state university

Unit 1Unit 1

Scientific StudyScientific Study of Educational PsychologyPsychology

What are the Goals of Scientific Study?y

Describe

Understand

Predict

Control

Prediction makes the theory Testable

Theorizing

That’s just a theory. Give me the facts!

Just the facts, Ma’am!

THEORYTHEORYTHEORYTHEORY

A Th i f lA Theory is a useful statement, or orderly, i t t d t fintegrated set of statements that allows one t d ib l i dto describe, explain, and predict events or l ti hi b trelationships between

events.

Truth in Science

Aristotle believed all heavenly bodies revolved

d h h faround the earth. Basis of navigation!

C i th i dCopernicus theorized revolution around the sun.

Einstein and relativityEinstein and relativity.

Building Formal TheoriesBuilding Formal Theories

FormalTheories

Evidence Hypothesis TestingEvidenceData

Hypothesis TestingResearch

Building Personal TheoriesBuilding Personal Theories

P lPersonalTheories

E idEvidenceData Observations

Issues that distinguish theories

• Goal directed/deterministicactive/passive– active/passive

– Free will vs. mechanistic• Quantitative/qualitative• Quantitative/qualitative

– Continuous vs. stages• genes/environment• genes/environment

– Universality/Diversityt ti / i i l• constructive/principle

Psychoanalytic Theoryy y yalso called Psychodynamic

• FreudFreudID, SUPEREGO, EGO • stagelike

• qualitative

• constructive• constructive

Behavioral LearningBehavioral Learning

• deterministicStimulus Response

• deterministicpassive

• Continuous

• quantitativequantitative

• environment

• principle

B.F.Skinner

Organismic/Adaption TheoriesOrganismic/Adaption Theories

• Constructivist– Note different use • Goal‐directed

ti• active

• Stages

• qualitative

• constructive

Piaget

Theory and the Scientific Method

Theory Hypothesis

Multiple

Theory yp

Evaluate Evaluate

MultipleWorkingHypotheses

Hypothesis Testing

relative to relative to other theory other theory Testing

Research

yyand researchand researchMultiple pstudies lead to conclusions

Research MethodsT h titiTeacher practitioner

Applying personal theories/beliefs

Teacher TheoristAction research

h dSophisticated Consumerof Information

Research DesignsResearch Designs

• DescriptiveDescriptive

• Correlational

i l• Experimental

• Developmental

Multiple studies lead to conclusionslead to conclusions

Descriptive Research

Data Collection methodsData Collection methods

Observational Methods

Case Histories

Survey DataySelf‐report

Archival DataArchival Data

Clinical Interview

Is changing your answer a good idea?idea?

3

3.5

2

2.5

%

1

1.5

0

0.5

wrong right right wrong wrong wrong

Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

Leaves fall

Coldtemperature

Observation: Each year the leaves fall off of the tree at the

i hsame time the temperature declines

Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

Cold Leaves

Alternate hypothesis

Coldtemperature

Leavesfall


Third variable alternate hypothesisThird variable alternate hypothesis

sun

Leaves Coldfall temperature

ba b

Alt t h th iAlternate hypothesis: Alternative explanations f h fi difor a research finding; e.g., a relationship between

i blvariables

Plausible alternate hypothesis: Believable alternate hypothesis


Direction of causality

a b

y


Third variable alternate hypothesisyp

c

a ba b

Reciprocal CausationReciprocal Causation

a b

Correlation CoefficientsCorrelation Coefficients

• Describes the extent of theDescribes the extent of the relationship between variables

• A perfect correlation is 1 or ‐1

• At or near zero means that variables are unrelated

F th f• Farther from zero means a stronger correlation

Correlation Coefficients100

R=.5890

80

Gra

de

70

6060

Days in class

45403530252050

Days Present


R=‐.5890

e

80

Gra

de

70

6060

50

Days Absent

30252015105050

Days absent

88Correlation Coefficients

50

r =.8845

e

40

Gra

de

35

30

13108525

Attendance

131085

Days Present


r = 34

100

90 r =.3490

80

Gra

de

80

70

60

50

Attendance

5040302050

Days Present

What is a good correlation?What is a good correlation?

• Test Reliability

• Decision MakingDecision Making

• Main predictor of variable/eventvariable/event

• One of many predictors fof variable/event

Problems with CorrelationalhResearch

Over inference of causality

Shotgun Correlational ResearchResearch

Grand conclusions from ll l ti hismall relationships

Strength of CorrelationalhResearch

• Naturalistic settingNaturalistic setting

• Can study variables you can’t manipulatep

• Theory building through strong inferenceg

ExperimentsExperimentsIndependent v. Dependent v.

• Independent Variable: varied controlledvaried, controlled manipulated by the experimenter.

• Dependent Variable: Measured to determine if its value is dependent on the independent variable.independent variable.

ExperimentsExperimentsTeaching Method Achievement

Independent variable

Dependent variable

Operational Definitions: The method by which a variable is translated into

b i hnumbers in a research study

Operational Definitions of Aggression:Are the valid?Are the valid?

Independent i bl Dependent variable

Aggression

variable Dependent variable

• Fights in dorms• Fights in dorms

• Bus’s Shock Machines

• Horn Honking

• Balloon popping• Balloon popping

Operational Definitions of Independent Variables:Are they valid?Are they valid?

TV violence Aggression

Independent variable Dependent variable

TV violence Aggression

p variable

E t i bl• Extraneous variables: Variables which vary other than the I.V. and D.V.

• Are there extraneous variables confounded with the I.V. that create alternate hypotheses?

Quasiexperimental Research

d d d

Teaching method Learning


Dependent variable

1 00 l i t l• 1:00 class: experimental

• 11:00 class: control

• What alternate hypotheses are created?

• How does randomizationcontrol extraneous variables?

Quasiexperimental Research

d d d

Teaching method Learning


Dependent variable

•Pretest-posttestPretest posttest designs

Factorial Studies: Schacter, 1971

Influence of clock speed on eating by obesity status of subjectobesity status of subject.

2.5

1 5

2

1

1.5normalobese

0.5

0normal speed fast speed

Problems with experimentsProblems with experiments• Cannot independently vary

d hage, and many other important variable.

• Generalizability: Manipulation of variables

t fl t t i lmay not reflect typical variation in the environmentenvironment.

• Manipulation of human behavior may createbehavior may create ethical risks.

Strengths of experimentsStrengths of experiments

• Opportunity to controlOpportunity to control extraneous variables that confound variables.

• Ability to draw causal inferences.

Single Subject Design (ABAB design)1010

Return to8

Baseline

Return toBaseline

6Baseline

4

2 Intervention ReintroduceIntervention

01 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Intervention

The Age VariableThe Age Variable

Can we Independently vary age?

• Cross-sectional Research

Cross‐sectional Study of Reading abilityCross sectional Study of Reading ability

80100

e

406080

ng sc

or

2040

read

in

010 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

ageCohort effects

Cross‐sectional Research

• comparability of groupsgroups,

• cohort effects • can't measure

change,g ,

The Age VariableThe Age Variable

• Cross-sectional Research

• Longitudinal Researchg

Cross‐sectional + longitudinal scores of bili d d id d iability to understand ideas expressed in

words

60

50

55

ore

Longitudinal

45

50

Sc

gCrossectional

4020 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 7020 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70

Age

LongitudinalLongitudinal

• constancy or stability of traits

• more potential to consider the causal nature of relationships between variables

Cross Lagged Correlational AnalysisCross Lagged Correlational Analysis

Age 16Age 9

Violent TV

gAge 9

Violent TV

r

ra1b2

r ra2b2ra1b1

Aggressiveness Aggressiveness

If ra1b2 > ra2b1 and > ra1b1 and > ra2b2 then A → B

LongitudinalLongitudinal

• history• testing instrumentation• testing, instrumentation,

carryover• mortality

Cross‐sequentialq(time lag)

Time 1Time 1 Time 2Time 21010 20201010 2020

2020 3030

3030 4040

4040 5050

5050 6060

Common Plausible Alternate H hHypotheses

• Generalizability:

GeneralizabilityGeneralizability

• External Validity

– Naturalistic Experiments

• Representative sample:

– 70% of Psychology research with intro. Psychology students.

Common Plausible Alternate HypothesesHypotheses


• Chance• ChanceStatistical Significancep < 05p < .05

Effect sizesEffect sizes

• Interpreting small diffmean differences

• Diversity– Overconfident amateur psychologists

Common Plausible Alternate H hHypotheses


• ChanceChance

• Effect size

D d Ch i iD d Ch i i• Demand CharacteristicsDemand CharacteristicsPlaceboPlacebo

Experimenter BiasExperimenter Bias

theory testable - missouri state university

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