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Chapter 2 outline
Scientific Method (pp. 47-65)
Ethical Issues (pp. 66-69)
Statistics (pp. 69-72)
Chapter 2 outline
Scientific Method (pp. 47-65)
Ethical Issues (pp. 66-69)
Statistics (pp. 69-72)
Scientific Method
scientific theory used to generate predictions (called hypotheses) about how some aspect
of the world works
hypothesis: testable prediction about how the world will behave if our theory is correct
if it's not supported, then maybe the theory needs to be refined
Scientific Method
https://wikieducator.org/Introduction_to_research_methods_in_psychology/IRMP101/An_Introduction_to_Psychological_Science
Scientific Method
hypotheses often concern the relationship between two or more variables
variables: things to be measured that can take on different values
Scientific Method
goal in hypothesis testing is not to "prove" anything
it is about using "best practices" to be able to confidently reach a conclusion
e.g., isolating variables of interest, controlling for alternative explanations
Scientific Method
Bargh et al. (1996) tested the hypothesis that people are unconsciously "primed" by certain
words
after completing the scrambled words task, participants with "old people" words walked
more slowly down the hall
Bargh, J. A., Chen, M., & Burrows, L. (1996). Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of
trait construct and stereotype priming on action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71,
230-244.
S. Doyen, O. Klein, C. L. Pichon and A. Cleeremans. (2012). Behavioral priming: it's all in the
mind, but whose mind? PLoS One, 7, e29081
Person 4 6 80%
Person 5 4 84%
Person 6 2 92%
Person 7 1 97%
Strong Correlation
No Correlation
Scientific Method
some research designs:
case studies (pp. 48-49)
naturalistic observation (p. 47)
self-report measures and surveys (pp. 49-50)
http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php
/2010/03/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alf_Landon
Chapter 2 outline
Scientific Method (pp. 47-65)
Ethical Issues (pp. 66-69)
Statistics (pp. 69-72)
Ethical Issues
http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/beginning-psychology/s18-02-
interacting-with-others-helpin.html
Ethical Issues
controversy around ethics:
lying to participants
causing distress
research today is monitored by research ethics boards (REBs) (p. 67)
Ethical Issues
Canadian ethical guidelines = Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS)
Tri-council:
Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
implemented at the institutional level
Ethical Issues
2 basic principles:
1. informed consent: tell participants what they are getting in to beforehand (p. 67)
Deception can be used under limited circumstances (p.68):
a) couldn't have performed study without it
b) doesn't negatively affect the rights of the participant
c) research doesn't involve medical or therapeutic intervention
2. debriefing: inform participants what the study was about
inform if deception was used
Chapter 2 outline
Scientific Method (pp. 47-65)
Ethical Issues (pp. 66-69)
Statistics
descriptive statistics: means of summarizing and organizing data
for an experiment, they describe how scores are distributed
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
e.g., given sample IQ scores of 80, 85, 95, 95, 220 (negative skew):
Mean (80+85+95+95+220)/5=115
Median 95
Mode 95
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
range is the simplest measure of variability, but it can be deceptive (see Fig. 2.6)
standard deviation: average amount that an individual data point differs from the mean
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
inferential statistics: used laws of probability to interpret data and draw conclusions
way of deciding whether there are fewer than 5 chances in 100 that your data are due to
chance
Statistics
if < 5 out of 100, result is statistically significant
statistical significance: when the probability that the observed findings are due to chance
is very low
NB: "significance" does NOT mean "important" or "interesting"
Statistics
statistics can be misleading (whether done purposefully or accidentally) and confusing even
for "experts" (pp. 72-73)
solution is statistical literacy
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
Statistics
October 1995: warning from UK Committee on Safety of Medicines:
new oral contraceptive pills increase the risk of potentially life-threatening blood clots by
100%
Statistics
100% is the relative increase in the risk of blood clots
base rate (p. 73), i.e., how many women got blood clots from old pill?
absolute increase, i.e., how many more women got blood clots from new pill?
Statistics
study involved a sample of 7000 women
old contraceptive pills -> # of blood clots = 1 (base rate)
new contraceptive pills -> # of blood clots = 2
Absolute risk increase: 1 in 7000
Relative risk increase: 100%
Gigerenzer, G., Gaissmaier, W., Kurz-Milcke, E., Schwartz, L. M., & Woloshin, S. (2008). Helping
doctors and patients make sense of health statistics. Psychological Science in the Public Interest,
8, 53-96.
Statistics
"Absolute risks are typically small numbers while the corresponding relative changes tend
to look big - particularly when the base rate is low" (Gigerenzer et al., 2008, p. 54)
Gigerenzer, G., Gaissmaier, W., Kurz-Milcke, E., Schwartz, L. M., & Woloshin, S. (2008). Helping
doctors and patients make sense of health statistics. Psychological Science in the Public Interest,
8, 53-96.
Statistics
read Ch. 3