PSY 429 Experimental Psychology
Learning Objectives
Part I
PSY 429 Experimental Psychology
Learning Objectives
Part I
Chapter 1
1. Describe the three methods of 'knowing' identified by Charles Pierce in 1877.2. Describe the advantages of the scientific method of fixing belief.
3. Describe the scientific procedures of description, prediction, and explanation and relate them to the analytic activities of observation, correlation and experimentation.
4. Describe the differences between an experiment and a quasi-experiment.
5. What is a theory? What are two major functions of a theory?
6. Describe the inductive approach and why it alone cannot be the sole approach toward the acquisition of knowledge.
7. Describe the deductive approach. Is induction necessary for the acquisition of knowledge? In what way?
8. Explain how Popper's falsifiability approach is used in science and the reasons for 'self-correction.'
9. What are the criteria of a good theory?
10. Define intervening variable. Be able to recognize examples.
11. Describe the distinctions between basic and applied research and describe at least two values to basic research.
1. Define naturalistic observation. What are the roles that naturalistic observation plays in psychology? Be able to cite (or recognize) examples of this kind of research.2. What are the two basic problems confronting scientists that the author of the text says threaten the validity of the observations in naturalistic observations? Do these problems threaten other methods?
3. Describe the technique of refinement or 'delimiting' the field of inquiry. Use the example of the eyebrow flash to illustrate.
4. Describe the two ways to guard against the participants' actions ruining observations?
5. Describe the relational approach and contingency research. What statistical test is used in this research? Be able to cite (or recognize) examples of this kind of research.
6. What is correlational research? Describe the correlation coefficient and its' properties? Be able to cite (or recognize) examples of this kind of research.
7. Define positive, negative, and zero correlations and be able to draw their graphical representations.
8. What conclusions are permissible with correlational studies? Why?
9. What does it mean when it is said that the correlation is "mediated" by a third variable?
10. Define 'confounding'.
11. Why should "low" correlations be interpreted with caution?
12. Explain why the problem of truncated (restricted) range can produce a false negative (i.e. non-significant correlation that is, in fact, significant).
13. Why is it advisable to plot the data when using the correlational method?
14. What is the general strategy of using cross-lagged panel correlation procedures?
15. Describe the findings from the cross-lagged panel correlation procedure used by Eron and his co-workers.
16. What terms are used interchangeably with the word "cause"?
17. In relation to the variable of 'time', why is it sometimes said that "experiments are only controlled correlations?
1. What are the necessary conditions that must be present before an experiment can, in truth, be called an experiment? Be able to cite (or recognize) examples of experiments.2. What are the advantages of experiments over some of the other methods discussed in the previous chapters? Describe a 'critical experiment'.
3. Describe independent variables and be able to recognize examples.
4. Why might null results occur?
5. Describe dependent variables and be able to recognize examples.
6. Describe how "floor" or "ceiling" effects can produce null results.
7. Describe a 'control' variable. Be able to recognize examples of control variables.
8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using more than one independent variable?
9. Describe an 'interaction' effect' within the context of the Martell & Eillid (1993) experiment. Be able to interpret the figures on pages 62 and 63. Be able to recognize when an interaction occurs in an experiment and when one doesn't occur.
10. Describe a 'between-subjects' design and a 'within-subjects' design. What are advantages and disadvantages of each.
11. How might one go about trying to minimize the differences among subjects in a between-subject design? Which method is preferable? Why?
12. Describe counterbalancing as it is used in a within-subject design. What is its purpose?
13. Distinguish between general practice effects and differential carryover effects.
14. Describe what is meant by a "small-n design" and a "mixed design."
15. Why is a control group (or condition) important?
16. Describe demand characteristics. Be able to recognize examples. What is the "Hawthorne Effect"?
17. Describe experimenter effects. Be able to recognize examples. What is a double-blind experiment?
18. What advantages are there to using quasi-experiments? Disadvantages? Describe quasi-experiments. Be able to cite (or recognize) examples.
19. What are the disadvantages common to the matching procedure?
20. What is "regression to the mean"?
21. How will regression to the mean affect quasi-experiments in which subjects have been matched on some variable?
1. Be able to recognize when a violation of one or more of the American Psychological Association's ten ethical guidelines occurs in an experiment.2. Describe the "informed consent" rule in psychological research.
3. What are the difficulties in implementing the informed consent rule? What would be a rule of thumb to follow for a researcher faced with the difficulties in implementing the informed consent rule?
4. Describe the definition of a "willing volunteer" as it is used in most psychological research. How would you insure that subjects are "willing volunteers"?
5. What methods are recommended by the APA to safeguard research participants from harm?
6. Describe the reasons why animals are sometimes used in psychological research.
7. Please be able to recognize when a violation of one or more of the American Psychological Association's five ethical guidelines governing animal research occurs in an experiment.
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