Introduction to

Research Methods
8-10% of the AP Exam

Psychology is an empirical discipline. Psychologists develop knowledge by doing

research. Research provides guidance for psychologists who develop theories to
explain behavior and who apply theories to solve problems in behavior.
A Scientific Attitude
Underlying all science is, first, a hard-headed curiosity, a
passion to explore and understand without misleading or
being mislead.
Skepticism keeps us from accepting ideas without sound
support.
To believe with certainty, we must begin by doubting Polish
Proverb
As scientists, psychologists approach the world of behavior with
curious skepticism, persistently asking two questions:
What do you mean?
How do you know?
The Amazing Randi
A Scientific Attitude

Do parental behaviors determine childrens sexual

orientation?
Can astrologers predict your future based on the position
of the planets at your birth?
Is electroconvulsive therapy (delivering an electric shock
to the brain) an effective treatment for severe
depression?
A Scientific Attitude

The rat is always right Early psychology motto

Psychology requires humility an awareness of our own
vulnerability to error and an openness to surprises and new
perspectives
Having to accept the truths that are revealed even if they go
against what we theorize
Critical Thinking

Examines assumptions, assesses the source, discerns

hidden values, confirms evidence, and assesses
conclusions.
Critical thinkers ask questions!!!
How do they know that?
What is this persons agenda?
Is the conclusion based on anecdote and gut feeling, or on evidence?
Does this evidence justify a cause-effect conclusion?
What alternative explanations are possible?
Critical Thinking in Practice

1. How many coins will it take for the cup to overflow?

2. If you drop a bullet off a table 3 feet high, and fire
another one straight across an empty football field,
which hits the ground first?
3. A ball rolls down a spiral track. The end of the track
curves left. What path does the ball take when it leaves
the track?
4. A wooden cube is 1 inch long on each side. How many
cubes form a cube 2 inches long on each side?
Surprise Findings in Psychology

Massive losses of brain tissue early in life may have

minimal long-term effects.
Within days, newborns can recognize their mothers odor
and voice.
After brain damage, a person may be able to learn new
skills yet be unaware of such learning.
Diverse groups men and women, old and young, rich and
middle class, those with disabilities and those without
report roughly comparable levels of personal happiness.
Debunking Popular Presumptions

Sleepwalkers are NOT acting out their dreams.

Our past experiences are NOT all recorded verbatim in our
brains; with brain stimulation or hypnosis, one CANNOT
simply hit the replay button and relived long-buried or
repressed memories.
Most people do NOT suffer from unrealistically low self-
esteem, and high self-esteem is not all good.
Opposites do NOT generally attract.
How Do You Know What You Know?
 Make a List of 10 Things You Know
 Make a List of 10 Things You Know
Explain to your group how you know each
thing on your list
Approaches to Knowledge

Authority
Intuition
Common Sense
Logic
The Scientific Method
Authority

Knowledge we get from someone else

whom we trust.
Intuition

Knowledge based on a
hunch or feeling
Common Sense

Knowledge based on what most people believe to be true.

Logic

Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions

through deduction or induction

All birds have feathers.

This animal has feathers.
Therefore, this animal is a bird.
Logic

Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions

through deduction or induction

All birds fly.

This animal flies.
Therefore, this animal is a bird.
Logic

Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions

through deduction or induction

All birds fly.

This animal doesnt fly.
Therefore, this animal is
NOT a bird.
Logic

Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions

through deduction or induction

All animals that fly are birds.

This animal flies.
Therefore, this animal is a bird.
Logic

Knowledge based on drawing reasonable conclusions through deduction or

induction

All animals that fly are birds.

This animal flies.
Therefore, this animal is a bird.
The Scientific Method
Knowledge based on
empirical evidence
gathered through
carefully controlled
procedures.
Which Approach to Knowledge?
A man goes to the grocery store and buys fresh cheese
from the deli. When he gets home, the cheese turns
out to be moldy. He then goes to his friend's house and
opens the refrigerator to find some cheese. The cheese
in his friend's home is also moldy. The man concludes
that his friend purchased the cheese from the same
deli.
Which Approach to Knowledge?

A student in a history class attends class regularly. She

takes careful notes of everything her professor tells her.
She does not read books outside the class, but instead
relies on the instructor's lectures to know about the topics
presented.
Which Approach to Knowledge?

A father picks his daughter up from school

every day. One day when he picks her up, he
believes she has had a bad day at school. He is
unable to say exactly why he believes this, but
he has a strong feeling and is certain it is true.
Which Approach to Knowledge?

A teacher believes her students are not reading their

textbooks and are using only their class notes to study
for exams. She designs an exam that draws only on
information presented in the textbook and nothing from
class notes. After administering the exam, she looks at
the results and finds that students did worse on this
exam than on previous exams. She concludes that
students weren't reading their textbooks.
 Make a List of 10 Things You Know
Explain to your classmate how you know
each thing on your list
Write what method of knowledge you
used to know each thing on your list
 Make a List of 10 Things You Know
Explain to your classmate how you
know each thing on your list
Write what method of knowledge you
used to know each thing on your list
For the items that you did NOT come to
know through the Scientific Method,
evaluate whether those could be
investigated through the Scientific
Method or not.
It doesn't matter how
beautiful your theory is, it
doesn't matter how smart
you are. If it doesn't agree
with experiment, it's wrong.

Richard P. Feynman
Lets Practice

Hypothesis: Students who listen to

music while studying learn better
than students who do not.
The Effect of Music on Performance
Researchers have found that music can have a dramatic
impact on human behavior. Consequently it is
commonplace to hear music in grocery stores, department
stores, restaurants, and businesses. For many people, the
pace of music can influence their speed, mood, and
concentration in subtle but significant ways.

Hypothesis: Both groups listening to music will

average faster times than the control group. Moreover,
the fast music group will perform the best.
Steps in the Scientific Method
Identify an area of interest/research question.
Generate a hypothesis from your research question.
Design a study to test your hypothesis.
Formulate predictions based on your hypothesis.
Collect data/information.
Scientific Method Song
Analyze and interpret the data to test predictions.
Accept or reject the hypothesis.
Communicate your results to the rest of the scientific community.
Refine your hypothesis (and/or theory) based on the results.
Replicate the study.

The Scientific Method - Big Bang Theory

https://services.online.missouri.edu/exec/data/courses/2311/public/lesson01/lesson01.aspx
The Scientific Method
Clarifications:
Theories are generally highly
researched, rigorously tested
frameworks that organize multiple
studies under one umbrella of ideas
not just educated guesses.

In psychology, a hypothesis is a
statement of relationship between or
among variables. It is generated after
researching what other scientists have
learned and observing variables in the
environment not just a testable
question or educated guess.
How to overcome bias?

Precise OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS that allow anyone to

REPLICATE your observations with different participants
and in different situations.
Operational definitions are perhaps the most important part of a
research study, because it defines what the researcher will be
observing and manipulating. Procedures/operations must be
EXACT!
Replication is the main goal of good research. If results work for
many different types of populations, then scientists can be
reasonable comfortable that those results would apply to most
people.
Lets Practice

Generate operational definitions (must be measurable and

manageable) for
Happiness
A smile
Intelligence
Popularity
Good music
Lets Practice

Legos!!!
With your bag of Legos, make something and write down
instructions on the paper provided. You must use all of the Legos
in your bag.
When you are finished, have someone in your group take a picture
of it.
Lets Practice

Legos!!!
With your bag of Legos, make something and write down
instructions on the paper provided. You must use all of the Legos
in your bag.
When you are finished, have someone in your group take a picture
of it and then break it down and put the pieces back in the bag.
When you move to another group, your task is to re-create their
design using the instructions provided.