The Method of Tenacity

(Ways of Knowing)

Something is taken as true simply because it has been repeated over and over

The Method of Authority

(Ways of Knowing)

The A Priori Method

(Ways of Knowing)

Individuals rely on their ability to reason – believing in things that “make sense”, that appear to be obviously true

Scientific Method

(Ways of Knowing)

-test assumptions

(using)

-systematic observations or measurements

*self-correction

Individuals come to understand what is true by testing a set of assumptions using systematic observations or measurements.

-Different from other approaches because it allows for self correction

Determinism

*Statistical Determinism

(Attributes of Scientific Thinking)

-Events have causes

*Events can be predicted, but only with a probability greater than chance

Objectivity

(Attributes of Scientific Thinking)

-A way of making an observation that can be verified by more than one observer

-This is connected to the importance of study replication

Data-driven

(Attributes of Scientific Thinking)

Conclusions Subject to Review

(Attributes of Scientific Thinking)

-The conclusions from our research are always tentative

-Scientists are always open to the idea that future research may support, challenge, or even overturn their findings

-It is an ongoing, developmental process

Describing Behavior

*Malevolent Object Study

(Goals of Research in Psychology)

 -Identify events and responses

-Also involves classification

-To identify regularly occurring sequences of events, including both stimuli or environmental events and responses or behavioral events

-Description also involves classification—this is particularly important in psychopathology

*One Study Example

Prediciting Behavior

*Psychopath Study

*Hypomania Personality Study

(Goals of Research in Psychology)

-To say that behavior follows laws is to say that regular and predictable relationships

exist between variables

-The strength of these relationships allows predictions to be made with some degree of

confidence

*2 Studies

Explaining Behavior

(Goals of Research in Psychology)

-To explain behavior is to know what caused it to happen

-Causation is frequently confused with correlation

Controlling Behavior

*Anger Exposure Study

*Emergency Room Medication Study

(Goals of Research in Psychology)

-The process of using the laws and principles of psychology to change human behavior

*2 studies

Beneficence & Non-malfeasance

(5 General Principles of Ethics in Psychology)

Fidelity and Responsibility

(5 General Principles of Ethics in Psychology)

Integrity

(5 General Principles of Ethics in Psychology)

-Psychologists seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of psychology

Justice

(5 General Principles of Ethics in Psychology)

-Psychologists recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contribution of psychology. [They do not condone unjust practices.]

Respect for People's Rights and Dignity

(5 General Principles of Ethics in Psychology)

-Psychologists respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination

-Research Ethics Committee

            -Independent body

            -Medical professionals

            -Non-medical members

-Responsible to verify

            -Safety

            -Integrity

            -Human rights

            -Public reassurance

            -Scientific content

-Explanation of study objective, potential benefits, risks, inconveniences, subject’s rights and responsibilities

-3 Key Components

            1. Informed

            2. Understood

            3. Voluntary

-Famous deception experiment: Milgram Experiment

-It may be necessary to use deception in some research protocols

-There is a controversy as to whether deception should be used at all

-One of the roles of the IRB is to decide whether deception is justified

-Research that has typically involved such topics as sensation and perception, learning, memory and cognition, and basic neurological and physiological processes

-Goal is to understand how things work

-This research is not geared to solve any immediate problems

-Research that has direct and immediate relevance to the solution of a real-world problem

Laboratory Research

*Control

-This research provides the experimenter with greater control over the variables involved

Field Research

*Realism

-Research in which data are collected and presented in the form of numbers

-Research techniques borrowed from sociology and anthropology

-Includes detailed interview information—either from individuals or focus groups

            -Detailed case studies

            -Observational studies

            -Results are presented in analytical narratives

-Definition of concepts in terms of a set of operations to be performed

            Examples:

            -Hunger will be defined as 12 hours without food

-Significant weight loss will be defined as a 10% decrease from the baseline weight

-A set of logically consistent statements about some behavioral phenomenon that

            (a) best summarizes existing empirical knowledge of the phenomenon

(b) organizes the knowledge in the form of precise statements of relationships among variables (i.e., laws)

(c) provides a tentative explanation for the phenomenon, and

(d) serves as the basis for making predictions about behavior

Conjecture about relationships btwn 2+ variables

-A conjectural statement, a tentative proposition about the relationship between two or more variables

(“If such and such occurs, then so and so results.”)

-Moving from theory to data

-Predicting events based on the theory

-Going from data to theory

-Building or revising theories based on the data and findings that you have uncovered

Inclusion Criteria

(IRB)

Exclusion Criteria

(IRB)

Associated with recognizing and reporting of adverse events related to trial participation and positive outcomes

--whether or not they appear to be related to the study itself