There are three main methods of obtaining data we will be concerning ourselves with:

experiments: examining behaviors in a controlled setting that reduces the influence of extraneous variables throwing off the results

advantages: can determine a causal relationship by excluding other intervening factors; controls confounding variables; does away with self-report bias or social desirability; information is not limited to what the subject can recall

disadvantages: the more you control various factors (internal validity) the less you can attribute the results to the outside world (external validity); sets up an artificial environment

 

surveys or questionnaires: the distribution of written questions asking for responses to certain targeted behaviors

advantages: sound information can be collected from a small sample; easy to administer; can record behaviors along a continuum rather than observing behavior or not

disadvantages: the way the survey is constructed can affect subjects' responses; responses may be biased because of self-report or the desire to put a socially-acceptable response

 

naturalistic observations: observing behaviors in their natural settings; for example, seeing how many men or women will enter a crowded elevator in a shopping mall

advantages: observes behavior as it naturally happens; non-artificial; does away with self-report bias or social desirability; information is not limited to what the subject can recall; can be easy to score

disadvantages: can be expensive; difficult to reliably record complex behavior; the observer can affect the subjects' responses

Terms that should be understood when talking about experiments:

population: the total number of people or objects from which to draw a sample

sample: a smaller group selected from the population for study; inferences to the entire population will be based on this sample's results

independent variable: the variable being manipulated; has at least two values

dependent variable: what is being measured; should be a score of some sort

confounding variable: extraneous, uncontrolled variables that throw off the results

experimental group: a group that receives the experimental treatment or what is being observed

control group: a natural group that does not receive the treatment; the group that operates normally

placebo: a "nothing drug" or variable that does not affect the control group other that give the impression they may be engaged in the experimental situation

descriptive statistics: statistics that describe the results; the mean, median, mode and standard deviation

inferential statistics: statistics that tend to prove or disprove the hypothesis; chi-square and t-score

Six characteristic that always apply to experiments are:

1. different sample groups have the same general characteristics
2. at least two if not more groups are compared
3. at least one variable is directly manipulated
4. the dependent variable can be assessed with a numerical score
5. extraneous or confounding variables are attempted to be controlled
6. inferential statistics are used

There are three types of experimental design:

bivalent: examines one dependent variable and one independent variable with two values

multivalent: examines one dependent variable and one independent variable with more than two values

parametric: examines one or more dependent variables and/or independent variables

Experiments are charted along an X and Y axis as follows:

Examples would be as follows:

bivalent: multivalent:

parametric:

Terms that should be understood when talking about experiments:

population: the total number of people or objects from which to draw a sample

sample: a smaller group selected from the population for study; inferences to the entire population will be based on this sample's results

 

There are four basic ethical considerations you need to address in any sort of research study:

1. Informed consent

Subjects should be told briefly what will be involved in the psychological experiment. You do not necessarily need to explain your hypothesis but should explain what sort of tasks will be required of the subject during experimentation.

2. Justification for any discomfort or deception

You need to justify why you would cause a subject any physical or mental discomfort, or deceive them in some way. Some experiments by their very nature may cause some mental frustration that would be encountered day-to-date (e.g. challenging math or verbal problems, or making choices between possible selections). Some topics by their very nature may cause distress (e.g. cognitive dissonance or social conformity). You must justify why the experimental design you have developed warrants these minor discomforts. Could this topic be tested any other way?

Be sure to ensure accurate participation of your subjects. Provide them with the appropriate environment in which to complete their task. Be sure to conduct yourself professionally; the more professional and serious you are, the better your results will be.

At all times, subjects have a right to withdraw from the experiment. Make sure this is clear to them at the outset of experimentation.

3. Finding are confidential

While you can ask demographic information such as age, grade level, sex, or GPA, you CANNOT record their names in connection with their results. You CANNOT refer to subjects by name in your report. You should make sure all data collected is done so anonymously and assure your subjects that the results will only be used for this experiment and then discarded.

4. Participants are debriefed

All subjects should be debriefed at the conclusion of your experiment. You should explain to them at the time they participate, if possible, what you are testing and how their results will be compared to others. You should briefly explain what theories support the behavior that they displayed in the experiment. If debriefed at the conclusion of the experiment, you can share with them the results and any conclusions you've made based on all the data you've collected.

Additional considerations

You should always acknowledge the works and publications of others. Make sure you completely reference these sources both in your Introduction and in your References sections.

Be honest in reporting your results. It is not important whether you prove your hypothesis but how well you conduct your experimentation. Do not dry lab results (make up results without running an experiment) or skew your results to support your hypothesis.

Monitor that these ethical standards are being displayed by others in your group and in the class. The psychological research community is constantly vigilant in making sure these ethical guidelines are adhered to.

In animal research, you must always justify any discomfort that the animal will encounter.