UNIT 1: Fundamentals of research design and variables 
                   
                Reading Assignment: Aron Reading on website: Logic & Language of Psychology Research 
                 
                1.  What are the goals of science and how do the types of statistics relate to those goals. 
                 
                2.  Explain what is meant by a variable and consider the role of reliability and validity in in research. 
                    
                3.  Explain the role of descriptive research, with emphasis on appropriate conclusions from descriptive 
                   data. 
                    
                4.  Recognize correlational research and identify alternate hypotheses to explain a relationship found in a 
                   correlational study.    
                 
                5.  Use the concepts of independent variable and dependent variable in describing experimental research 
                   and designing simple studies.  Distinguish between the true experiment and a quasiexperiment. 
                        
                6.  Discuss the importance of randomization in the selection of subjects and assignment of subjects to 
                   groups in experiments; considering the advantages of experiments over quasi-experiments? 
                        
                          Terms                                 
                          Reliability                           
                          Validity                             Extraneous variables 
                          Correlational design                 Operational Definition 
                          True experiment                      Population 
                          Manipulation                         Sample 
                          Experimental group                   Random sampling 
                          Control group                        Random assignment 
                                                               Quasiexperimental  
                          Independent variable                 Repeated measures 
                          Dependent variable                   Counterbalancing 
                                                                
                       Tutorial Examples                                                      
                       1. Flat Tire Modeling                                                 Scan to download mp4 
                       2. Humor study                                                        videos to your smart 
                       3. Newspaper examples                                                 phone.  Note that this file is 
                       4. Marriage & health                                                  144 mb, so if there are 
                       5. Heart Rate study                                                   limits on your data plan, 
                       6. Room Color study                                                   you may want to download 
                       7. Self-efficacy study                                                through WIFI, or download 
                                                                                             from BB to your computer, 
                                                                                             and copy to your 
                                                                                             smartphone. Note that 
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                    Unit 1                       What are the Goals of Scientific Study?
                                                                   Describe
                                                                   Understand
                                                                   Predict
                                                                   Control
                                                                  Prediction makes 
          Fundamentals of research                                the theory 
             design and variables                                 Testable
              Associated Statistics              Variables: Vary and can be assigned a 
                                                             number
       Descriptive statistics                  • Reliability
        – Summarize and organize                  –consistency
          data                                  • Validity
       Inferential statistics
        –Eliminate the hypothesis                 –Reflect the construct 
          the relationships between                or labeled behavior
          variables occur by chance
        –make inferences that go 
          beyond the scores from a 
          research study; predict
                            Theory and the Scientific Method                                                             Research Designs
                         Theory                              Hypothesis                                • Descriptive
         Multiple studies                                                 Multiple                     • Correlational
         lead to                                                          Working                      • Quasi‐experimental
         conclusions   Evaluate                                           Hypotheses
                       relative to                                                                     • Experimental
                       other theory                            Hypothesis 
                       and research                               Testing                                        Multiple studies lead to conclusions
                                                                 Research
                              Descriptive Research
                                                                                                        When a student changes an answer on a test, it 
                  Data Collection methods                                                                is most likely that they will change the answer 
                  Observation                                                                                                      from;
                  Survey Data                                                                             A. wrong to right.
                  Archival Data                                                                           B. wrong to wrong.
                  Clinical Interview                                                                      C. right to wrong.
                                                                                                           D. each equally to each of the three.
                        Is changing your answer a good                                                                         Correlational Research
                                                  idea?
                                                                                                                               Relationship:  covariation
                               3.5                                                                                            Observation: Each year the leaves fall 
                                 3                                                                                            off of the tree at the same time the 
                               2.5                                                                                            temperature declines
               %                 2
                               1.5
                                 1                                                                                                    Leaves                                     Cold
                               0.5                                                                                                      fall                                 temperature
                                 0
                                     wrong right    right wrong   wrong wrong
                        Interpreting Correlations                                                                            Interpreting Correlations
                           Alternate hypothesis                                                                                Third variable alternate hypothesis
                                                                                                                                                       sun
                                 Cold                                      Leaves
                             temperature                                     fall
                                                                                                                                      Leaves                               Cold
                                                                                                                                        fall                           temperature