RESEARCH METHODS AND STATISTICS IN PSYCHOLOGY 3

Review Questions: Chapter 1

1. Describe two important characteristics of the scientific method.
2. Provide an example of (1) how social and cultural factors can influence psychologists’ choice of research topics and (2) how sociocultural factors can influence acceptance of research results by psychologists. part of society.
3. Describe how ethnocentric bias can be a problem in research and suggest a way researchers can prevent this bias.
4. Describe two ethical dilemmas that psychologists may face when conducting research.
5. What are the three initial steps that researchers take when beginning a research project?
6. Identify two reasons why it is important to search the psychological research literature when beginning research.

Review Questions: Chapter 2

1. What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable? Provide an example of each that could be used in an experiment.
2. What is the main advantage of using operational definitions in psychology? What two criticisms have been made of the use of operational definitions?
3. What is the difference between the validity and reliability of an instrument?
4. Identify the four objectives of the scientific method and briefly describe what each is intended to achieve.
5. What is the difference between the nomothetic approach and the idiographic approach?
6. Identify the three conditions required for a causal inference.
7. What is an intervening variable? Propose an example of a factor that serves as an intervening variable between “insult” and “aggressive responses” in children. Explain how these variables can be related by proposing a hypothesis that includes the influence of the intervening variable.