Final Exam Review

Experimental MethodsPSYC 2950.002

Spring 2012

A note:

• You are welcome to review your previous exams in preparation for the final exam.

• If you’re interested in doing so, e-mail me @ shanasouthard-dobbs@my.unt.edu to schedule a time.

Chapter 1Intro to Scientific Research

• What is a theory?• Methods of conducting science– Induction/Deduction– Hypothesis Testing– Naturalism

• Assumptions Underlying Research– Determinism– Reality in Nature– Discoverability

Chapter 2Research Approaches and Data Collection Methods

• Non-experimental quantitative research• Claiming cause and effect• Psychological experiment• Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research• Mediator/Moderator• Experimental research settings

Chapter 3Problem Identification and Hypothesis Formation

• Parts of a research paper• Sources of research ideas

– Literature review• Research idea, research problem/question, hypothesis• Order of operations

– get research idea– review the literature– determine feasibility of study– formulate the research problem– formulate the hypothesis– collect the data

Chapter 5Measuring Variables & Sampling

• Scales of Measurement• Reliability• Validity • Relationship between reliability & validity• Sampling– Benefits of random sampling

Chapter 6Research Validity

• Types of validity• Threats to validity

* Internal/External validity– relationship between

Chapter 4Ethics

• Areas of ethical concern• Informed Consent• Assent• Debriefing• Role of IRB

Chapter 8Experimental Research Design

• Weak experimental designs– What’s missing?

• Strong experimental designs– What makes them strong designs?

• Between-participant designs• Within-participant designs• Factorial designs

Chapter 7Control Techniques in Experimental Research

• Random assignment vs. random selection• Control by matching– For what kind of design?

• Counterbalancing– For what kind of design and what kind of effects?

• Control for Participant Effects• Control for Experimenter Effects

Chapters 14 & 15Statistics Review

• Inferential Statistics• Graphical representation of data• Measures of Central Tendency• Nature of hypothesis testing– Type I / Type II error

• What’s the appropriate statistical test?– Correlation -- one-way ANOVA– Ind. Samples t test -- factorial ANOVA– Paired samples t test

Chapter 10Quasi-Experimental Designs

• Where do quasi-experimental designs fit in the continuum of weak to strong designs?

• What is the primary difference between quasi- and strong experimental designs?

• What conditions are required to infer causation from quasi-experimental designs?

Chapter 11Single-Case Research Designs

• Single case designs– ABA– ABAB– Multiple baseline design– Changing criterion design

Chapter 12Survey Research

• When to use survey research?• Primary survey designs– Cross-sectional, longitudinal

• Primary data collection methods– Questionnaires, interviews, web-based, paper-

based• Guidelines for evaluating (or creating) surveys• Sampling issues

Chapter 13Qualitative & Mixed Methods Research

• Definition of qualitative research• Nature of qualitative research– Vs. quantitative

• Validity in qualitative research– Types & strategies to improve– ways to reduce researcher bias

• Types of qualitative studies• Importance and types of triangulation