Chapter 1 Flashcards
Producers Role
Design, conduct, analyze, and present original research
Consumers
Consumes research
Important to be a critical consumer
Empiricists
Objective observation of a phenomenon
Base conclusion on direct observations
Use evidence from the senses or other instruments as the basis for conclusions
Theory-Data Cycle
Collect data to test, change, or update theories
Theory - research question - research design - hypothesis - data
Non supporting data leads to revised theories or improved research design
Supporting data strengthens theory
Cupboard Theory Vs. Contact Comfort Theory
Cupboard: the mother is valuable to the baby because she is a food source
Contact: Babies are attached to mothers because of the comfort of their warm, fuzzy, fur
Harlow confirmed comfort theory
-monkeys cling to cloth monkey, leave to nurse off wire dummy and come back
Theory
Set of statements that describe general principles about how variables react to one another
Good Theories Are… (3)
- Supported by data: repeatedly and across different designs, measures, samples
- Falsifiable: lead to hypotheses that, when tested, could fail to support the theory
- Parsimonious: simple, better theory is one that explains phenomena with a minimum number of assumptions
Research Question
Question you want to answer through research
Focus on specific topic or problem
Somewhat specific
Open ended
Can come from a theory (doesn’t have to, can come from life, the literature, etc)
Hypothesis
Specific outcome the researcher will observe if the theory is accurate (a prediction)
Formal and precise statement about the relationship between variables
Pre Registered: after the study is designed but before data collection, researcher states expected outcome
Data Collection
After forming hypothesis
Measure variables of interest
Use suitable research method
Data
Set of observations
Data analysis
Data may support hypothesis (does not prove that the hypothesis/theory is correct, science relies on replication)
Data may fail to support the hypothesis (cannot prove that the hypothesis/theory is wrong, may be other reasons you failed to find an effect)
Impossible to prove the absence of a relationship effect
Self-Correcting
Science can become this way by being open to falsification and testing every assumption
Applied Research
Done with a practical problem in mind and research is conducted in a local and real world context
Findings to be directly applied to solution of problem in real world context
E.g. testing if a school’s new curriculum teaches something better
E.g. testing depression treatments on trauma survivors
Basic Research
Enhance the general body of knowledge
Knowledge generated through basic research can be applied to real world contexts later (contribute to a body of knowledge)
E.g. understanding the human memory
E.g. understanding the infant attachment system
