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Psychology as a Science
-Scientific Method
- Research Ethics
- Becoming a Psychologist
What is psychology?the scientific study of the mind
What counts as SCIENCE?
• A systematic method to test a specific claim (hypothesis)
• The hypothesis should be
• falsifiable
• replicable
• better than rival hypotheses
• The findings should show causation, rather than merely correlation
Scientific method
• Formulate a specific claim that can be tested (hypothesis)– For example: “Female rats exposed to high level of testosterone in utero
will exhibit male sexual behavior as adults”
• Collect evidence that either confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis
Scientific Method
• Step 1: Formulate a testable hypothesis
– Example of a poor hypothesis: ‘Hormones make you gay’
– Why is this a bad hypothesis?
– How can you make it better?
Group activity
Scientific Method: Experimental design
• Step 2: Design & conduct experiment– Dependent variable:
• What are you measuring?• Does the outcome of this variable depend on something else?• How will you quantify this variable?
– Independent variable:• The variable that differs across conditions (hormone level)
Scientific Method: Experimental design
Results
- Confounding variables- Uncontrolled variables that could also explain the results
- Were subjects assigned randomly to groups?- Were subjects in the four groups tested under similar conditions?
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Scientific Method: Experimental design
- Experiment- Conditions are manipulated
- Observational study- Variables are observed (not manipulated)- Usually under natural conditions- Usually results are correlational
- For example, is baboon’s size correlated with shiny fur? - A large male may gain access to more food (& thus healthier fur).
Alternatively, - More food will make the baboon arger (& thus healthier fur)
Scientific method: experimental design
• Case study– Extensive study of one individual– Compare behavior to a group of control subjects
Scientific Method: Experimental design
Higher Lower Causal
Lower Higher Correlational
Mixed Mixed Causal
Experiment
Observation
Case study
Experimentercontrol
Ecologicalvalidity
Type of inference
Scientific Method: Experimental design
• Step 3: evaluate hypothesis– Results
– Is the difference reliable? Are we likely to replicate the results? (statistics)
– Do the findings fit well with existing data?
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Some psychological research topics:
• origins of stereotypes
• development of language
• causes of Alzheimer’s disease
• accuracy of eyewitness testimony
• treatment of eating disorders
• causes of romantic love
Research Ethics
• Goal: Ethical treatment of research subjects
• Guidelines and regulations regarding experimentation with humans and animals
Research Ethics
• Holocaust medical experimenters and Nuremberg trials– Trials took place after World War II (1946)– Nazi doctors were put on trial for unethical human
experimentation
– Led to the Nuremberg Code• Focus on medical research
• Informed consent
• Avoid unnecessary suffering
• Subject can stop at any time
– Declaration of Helsinki (1964)
Research Ethics: Psychological Research
Protection of human subjects• Voluntary participation (vs. coercion)• Informed consent
– Are subjects aware of all potential risks and benefits?
• Debriefing– Are subjects deceive in any way?
• Confidentiality– Sharing information: publication of research results– Storage of records
Research Ethics: Psychological Research
Protection of human subjects• Voluntary participation (vs. coercion)• Informed consent
– Are subjects aware of all potential risks and benefits?
• Debriefing– Are subjects deceive in any way?
• Confidentiality– Sharing information: publication of research results– Storage of records
Schooling in Psychology
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