Studying Behaviour Scientifically - Research Methods and Correlation

Question 1

Observational Research

Answer 1

If you want to understand a phenomenon, you typical need to star by making observations about it.

Question 2

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 2

The goal of naturalistic observation is to make observations of BEHAVIOUR in a NATURAL setting

Question 3

Ethology

Answer 3

Aims to study animal behaviour “on its own terms”

Which means attempts at creating natural circumstances are heavily relied upon

Ex. The “Rat Park” experiment by Bruce Alexander showed that addictive behaviour towards morphine was a product of environmental influences more than the drug itself.

Question 4

Naturalistic Observation - Peer Dynamics

Answer 4

Young children act different around adults

If we want to study child peer-dynamics, ethological concepts like “studying the animal on its own terms” becomes relevant

ex.

Question 5

What are one of the strengths of Naturalistic Observation?

Answer 5

The ability to study PHENOMENA that we simply could not expect to occur in artificial conditions

Question 6

Limitations of Naturalistic Observation

Answer 6

CONSIDERATION

• Need a way to record or detail events
• Ethical issue of concealment
• Loss of objectivity of observer when immersed
• Time-Consuming (Don’t know when relevant things will happen”

LIMITATIONS

• No control over the environment means low internal validity

Question 7

Systematic Observation

Answer 7

In contrast to naturalistic observation, SYSTEMATIC observation attempts to study behaviour in a CONSTRAINED SETTING

Is typically motivated by hypotheses rather than exploration of pheonomenon

Question 8

Case Studies

Answer 8

Due to irregularities or other noteworthy significance, it could be informative to study the life and behaviour of a single person. Rather than a group of normal ppl

Psychotherapeutic techniques rely heavily on case study techniques - they aim to throughly understand an individuals history, unique problems, causes, an solutions in their life

They are also used extensively in euro research of brain damage patients. To find unique behaviours, and understand how they’re tied to brain damage.

Ex. H.M and Phineas Gage are famous case study patients, that gave us insight into functioning of hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

Question 9

Case Study Benefits and Considerations

Answer 9

BENEFITS

• Provides ability to study rare events

CONSIDERATIONS

• Possibly issues of respect and welfare (Feral Children)
• Possible issues of external validity
• Loss of objectivity

Question 10

Survey Methods

Answer 10

Surveys survey peoples beliefs and attitudes, not their behaviours.

Sometimes used for studying hard-to-observe behaviours

Ex. Observing sexual behaviour, just because its helpful doesn’t mean that it has validity

Question 11

Interviews Vs. Surveys Benefits and Costs

Answer 11

BENEFIT

• Response rates
• Accuracy

COSTS

• Monetary time and cost
• Interviewer bias

Question 12

Internet Polling

Answer 12

Companies are using online surveys and opinion polls to engage customers and to build brand loyalty.

They can go horribly wrong, or right.

Trolling and grieving are realistic problems that need to be considered

Ex. Pitbull and the wall mart poll

Question 13

Random Sampling

Answer 13

People are picked at random from a pop

Equal change of being chosen

Population are proportionally represented within the sample

(If you are picked non-randomly, then theres a chance of bias)

Question 14

Random Vs. Stratified Sampling

Answer 14

Stratified sampling is used in place of random sampling when there are low-probability subgroups you are interested in representing.

Question 15

Response Rates

Answer 15

Refers to a proportion of individuals who actually respond to a survey.

Lower response rates tend to be biased responses.

Question 16

Correlation

Answer 16

Correlation tests are used to detect whether two types of measures are related to each other.

When a change in one variable are accompanied by a change in another, they are correlated

Psychology is often interested in correlations

• Does aggression increase in frequency of video game playing?
• Does job salary increase with scores of IQ tests?

Question 17

Scatterplots

Answer 17

Correlations can be visualized using scatter plotting

• Observe two variables in conjunction
• Repeat for multiple situations (for different people)
• Plot these pairs with one variable on the X axis, and the other on Y-Axis

Question 18

Correlation Strength

Answer 18

We can see how strong a correlation is by looking at the scatter plot, and see how close it is clustered to the line

We can calculate a correlation coefficient (Referred to as R) for a mathematical estimate of strength

Question 19

Causation

Answer 19

Causation does not imply correlation

Question 20

Cause and Effect

Answer 20

To establish cause and effect, we must perform an EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION

Question 21

The Logic of an Experiment

Answer 21

If two situations results in different behaviours, that difference must be caused by difference between situations

If only ONE difference was there, then we can imply that that ONE difference is the causation factor.

In practice, its very difficult to have only one difference between two situations

Question 22

Basic Design of an Experiment

Answer 22

PARTICIPANTS
(Sample)

Then random assignment to TWO GROUPS
(Independent Variable)

1. Experimental Group
2. Control Group

THEN

Measurements of both of the groups

(Dependent variable)

Ex.
Suppose we want to study the effects of lighting conditions on attention.

CONDITIONS

• Fluorescent light
• Natural light
• Simulated natural light

DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Number of times participants look away from a book while reading a short story

ASSIGNMENT

• Morning (fluorescent light)
• Afternoon (natural light)
• Evening (simulated natural light)