SFP - Research Methods in Psychology Lesson

Learning Target:

  • Differentiate types of research regarding purpose, strengths, and weaknesses. 

AP psychology course and exam description, effective fall 2020. (n.d.). https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-psychology-course-and-exam-description.pdf

Research Methods in Psychology

In AP Psychology, research methods are one of the most important topics you will study. Many past AP Free Response Questions have covered research methods and it is also important because, primarily, psychology is a science.

4 Basic Goals of Psychology: I. Describe II. Explain III. Predict IV. Control

As a reminder psychologists conduct two types of research: Applied and Basic.

Psychologists rely heavily on scientific methods to conduct research and formulate new theories. The scientific method is a set of rules that psychologists must follow before they share their ideas with the world. When conducting research, it is important that the psychologist remains cautious and open-minded.

Research must also be both valid and reliable. Validity is achieved when research measures what it sets out to measure. At the end of this unit, you will take an exam on psychological history and research. This exam is valid if it measures what you have learned about psychological history and research, not the structure of cells. Reliability describes the ability of research to be replicated and yield comparable results. Often, we are presented with "facts" about products, foods, and new science studies only to find out they were only tested once. This is not reliable information. To create a new theory, a psychologist will want to test his hypothesis over and over.

Need for Psychological Science: Hindsight Bias Overconfidence The Barnum EffectSo why do we need all this science anyway? Why can't we rely on our intuition alone? Here are a few of the most common reasons or road bumps that illustrate a need for psychological science:

  • Hindsight Bias - This is the tendency to believe after learning the outcome of an event that you knew it all along. A notable example is Monday morning quarterbacking, which explains why after a big game people will rationalize how they knew a team was going to lose and how they should have improved. Or after the results of an election are released, you discuss how you knew how and why the winning candidate would win, even if it was not the one you voted for. Hindsight bias occurs because once we find out something has happened, it seems inevitable that it could have been the only outcome.
  • Overconfidence - Overconfidence leads us to estimate our intuition and causes us to think we know more than we really do. Some examples include overestimating the stock market before playing it or overestimating your ability to predict the weather forecast.
  • The Barnum Effect - Have you ever read your horoscope, been to a fortune teller, or taken a personality profile? Chances are you have received very general or vague information. Our tendency to believe these vague characterizations is called the Barnum Effect, named after the famous circus performer P.T. Barnum.

 

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is the set of guidelines and procedures that researchers follow when they are creating questions to investigate, collecting data, and reaching conclusions. It provides a standardized way for research to be conducted.

The Scientific Method Identify the Problem (question) Gather Data (research) Hypothesis Test Hypothesis (experiment) Does the New Data Agree? If No, go back to Hypothesis. If Yes, go back to Test Hypothesis (experiment)

Please review the important key terms of The Scientific Method below:

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