V.   Research Methods in Psychology

What is naturalistic observation?
This involves carefully observing behavior in the settings where it normally occurs.

What is the correlational method of research and how do psychologists use it?
This is a basic method of research in which two or more variables are carefully observed to see if changes in one are related to changes in the other. Psychologists use it to make predictions about one variable from observations of another variable.

Why are even strong correlations between variables not evidence that changes in one cause changes in the other.
Even strong correlations don't necessarily indicate causality because changes in both variables may stem from the influence of some other variable.

What is the basic nature of experimentation?
In experimentation, researchers produce systematic changes in one variable (the independent variable) in order to observe whether these changes affect another variable (the dependent variable).

Why is random assignment of participants to conditions required in experiments?
Because if participants are not randomly assigned to each condition, it may later be impossible to tell whether differences in their behavior stem from differences they brought with them to the study, from the impact of the independent variable, or both.

What is confounding of variables in an experiment?
Confounding occurs when or more variables other than the independent variable are permitted to vary during an experiment.

What are experimenter effects and the double-blind procedure?
Experimenter effects are unintentional effects on research participants' behavior produced by researchers. Such effects can be prevented by double-blind procedures in which experimenters who have contact with research participants do not know the hypothesis or the condition to which participants have been randomly assigned.

What is deception? Informed consent? Debriefing?
Deception is the temporary withholding of information about a study from research participants. Informed consent involves informing participants about all procedures to be used in a study before they agree to participating in it. Debriefing involves providing participants with full explanation of all aspects of a study after participating in it.

What ethical issues are raised by research with animals?
Critics of such research suggest that it is unethical to expose animals to treatments or conditions that can potentially harm them.

	1.13	American Psychological Society – Psychological Research on the Net This site, hosted by the American Psychological Society, contains numerous links to known experiments on the internet that are psychologically related. They are organized by general topic area with the topic areas listed alphabetically.

	1.2	Using the Correlational Method in Research The author tells why researchers sometimes use the correlational method as opposed to direct experimentation in their research.

	1.14	Survey Method Visit the Princeton University Survey Research Center to learn more about survey research and the survey method.

	1.15	Ethical Issues in Psychology This site contains links to sites that describe the ethical standards to which psychologists must adhere with regard to their research, teaching, and practice activities.

	1.3	Using Deception in Research The author explains why it is sometimes necessary to use deception in research investigations.

	1.16	APA Ethics Information This site, hosted by the American Psychological Association, contains links to sites that discuss ethical principles, codes of conduct, and guidelines governing the treatment of human and animal subjects.

	1.5	Matching: Check Your Understanding II A matching quiz to test students' understanding of the material covered in the following sections: Psychology and the Scientific Method, Research Methods in Psychology.

	1.6	Review of Key Terms Check your knowledge of key terms and concepts from this section.