09 - PSY101 - Research Methods

08/17/08 • 36 min

What research methods do Psychologist use? In studying behavior, Psychologist employ naturalistic observation, interviews, case histories, questionnaires, surveys, standardized tests, physiological measures, correlation, and experiments. Observation Methods: Naturalistic Observation: a method of study in that involves observing behavior in normal, everyday settings. Participant observation: Psychologist that take an active part in a social situation, perhaps deliberate role playing to see how other people behave. Controlled/ Structured Observation: Survey Methods Questionnaire: a highly structured pencil and paper interview Structured Interview: An in-depth question and answer session in which an individual’s life or problems are probed. Case Histories: a compilation of the history of an individual based on the interviews and other sources of information. Survey (Telephone): The administration of a questionnaire to relatively large numbers of people. For more info on this topic visit http://psy101.MyUCCedu.com

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10 - PSY101 - Experimental Methods

Modern Experimental Method: What is correlation and what does it tell us? Correlation: a statistical technique for describing the extent and direction of the relationship between pairs of scores on some measure. , does not indiact what causes what What can psychological experiments tell us? Experiments, which is psychology’s most powerful tool, assesses cause and effect through strictly controlled procedures and manipulations. Experiment: a careful and controlled study of cause and effect through manipulation of the conditions participants are exposed to. Internal Validity: the extent to which an experiment permits statements about cause and effect. External Validity: the extent to which an experiment applies to real-life behavior. STUDY CHART Methods Used in Psychological Research Observation: a research method in which events are observed and recorded as they occur; with out intervention. Naturalistic Observation: Observing behavior in everyday settings or in a laboratory; the observer attempts to be as inconspicuous as possible. Participant observation: Taking an active part in a social situation and observing the behavior of others in that situation. Interview: a research method in which clients or research participants are questioned about their life experiences and their ideas and feelings about them. Case history: a compilation of significant experiences in a person’s life. Questionnaire: a set of written questions that each participant answers in the same order. Survey: a research method in which a questionnaire is administered to a large number of people in a short period of time. Standardized test: a test that has been developed to assess human abilities, achievements, and traits. (such as personality characteristics) Physiological measures: methods for measuring any form of physiological functioning that is related to behavior. Correlation: a mathematical way of determining the relationship between two pairs of scores. Experiment: a careful and controlled study of cause and effect in which participants or subjects are exposed to differing conditions (independent variable) and any corresponding differences in behavior (dependent variable) are assessed; experiments may be conducted in a laboratory (controlled observation) or naturalistic settings. For more info on this topic visit http://psy101.MyUCCedu.com

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14 - PSY101 - Psychoanalytic Theory Structural Elements

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Psychoanalytic Theory holds that the human mind has three parts, or forces: 1. the unconscious mind, which includes the id, with its pleasure principle; 2. the conscious ego, with its reality principle; 3. And the often unconscious superego, with its morality principle. The primitive id contains the persons’ instinctive drives towards sensuality and aggression. Freud believed that human psychosexual development takes place in five stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. The superego is acquired as a result of the Oedipus complex, which all children are assumed to undergo between ages 3 and 6. The central problem in mental disorders, according to classical psychoanalytic theory is anxiety. Id, Ego, and Superego Freud conceived of the human personality and mind as having three major components, which he called the id, the ego, and the superego. The Internal Battle The three parts of the mind are often in conflict, and Freud regarded this Intrapsychic conflict as the essence of human personality. One result of the conflict is anxiety, which is produced in the ego. When ever the demands of the id are dangerous or the disapprovals of the superego are intense. Anxiety arouses the ego to fight the impulses or thoughts that have created it. In one way or another—by using repression and the other defense mechanisms (see chapter 12 notes), by turning the mind’s attention elsewhere, by gratifying some other impulse of the id—the ego defends itself against the threat posed by the id or the superego and minimizes the anxiety. Psychosexual Development Freud believed that human psychosexual development takes place in five stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. For more info on this topic visit http://psy101.MyUCCedu.com