AP Psychology Ch.2 intro notes

1. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
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Conducting Research (general info)
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 Psychology is an experimental science
 Assumptions must be supported by evidence
 Procedures consists of five steps:
1) Forming a research question
2) Forming a hypothesis
3) Testing the hypothesis
4) Analyzing the results
5) Drawing conclusions

2. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
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Replication
 Findings may represent a random occurrence
 For a study to be confirmed it must be
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replicated (repeated) to show the same results
 If the results are repeated and obtain different
results, the findings of the first study are
questioned
 It is important to study both males and females
if the goal is to make generalizations about all
members of the species.

3. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
New Questions
Whether the findings of the research study
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support or contradict the hypothesis, they are
likely to lead to new research questions.
 Once new questions are asked, the process
begins all over again.

4. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
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5. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
Question: Why are proper sampling techniques important?
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Surveys are taken to find out about people’s attitudes
and behaviors directly.
Two survey methods—written questionnaires and
interviewing
The findings of interviews and questionnaires are not
completely accurate.
People may not answer honestly about their
attitudes or behavior

6. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
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Populations and Samples
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Must decide what group or groups of people
they wish to examine and how they will be
selected.
 Target population—is the whole group you
want to study or describe.
 Researchers study a sample of the target
population

7. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
Selecting Samples
 Samples must be selected scientifically to ensure that
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the samples accurately represent the populations they
are supposed to represent.
 Random Sample—individuals are selected by
chance from the target population
 Stratified sample—subgroups in the
population are represented proportionally in
the sample.

8. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
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A random sample of 1,000 to 1,500
people will usually represent the
general American population
reasonably well.
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9. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
Generalizing Results
 Researchers do not use a sample that represents an
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entire population
 Researchers want to know about only one group
within the population
 Researchers are cautious about generalizing their
findings to groups other than those from which
their samples were drawn

10. PPSSYYCCHHOOLLOOGGYY
PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
Volunteer Bias
 Researchers have little control over who responds to
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surveys or participates in research studies.
 They cannot force people to complete the
questionnaires.
 Bias—a predisposition to a certain point of view.
 People who volunteer to participate in studies often
bring with them a volunteer bias.