Lab1_PSYC1110L_PRIYANSH

PSYC 1110L NT, LAB #1, PART 2 1

Laboratory # 1, Part 2: Psychological research methodology

Introduction: The aim of this exercise is to review the categories of psychological research and
identify the research method employed in examples of research studies.

Please read all instructions before beginning.

Instructions:
(1) Read through the Laboratory #1 notes, below, highlighting any important terms.
(2) There are six examples of psychological research presented below. Randomly choose two
(2) of the six examples by writing numbers 1-6 on pieces of paper and drawing two of the
pieces of paper (you may also use a random number generator online if you choose).
(3) For each chosen example, identify the following:
a. The number of the research description (i.e., 1- 6);
b. The research method used, including a brief explanation of what information
presented in the description led you to your decision;
c. The research question of interest;
d. List ALL variables you can identify in the example. Recall, a variable is anything that
can vary within a person over time or across people or groups. Ensure you list ALL
variables in your answer to this question;
e. Identify the independent variable(s) (if applicable). If there is no independent
variable, identify why;
f. Identify the dependent variable(s) (if applicable). If there is no dependent variable,
identify why; and
g. Describe one possible hypothesis about what the results of the study could be. Recall,
a hypothesis is an educated guess about what the results of the study could be. Please
note: You are NOT required to follow the links provided with the study descriptions;
they are included for interest purposes only.

(4) Please submit your answers using the submission portal on ACORN. Please save your
submission, including the lab number, class number and your name in the file name.
(i.e., “Lab1_PSYC1110L_Sarah S.”).
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PSYC 1110L NT, LAB #1, PART 2 2

Laboratory # 1 notes

What is Psychological research?

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and thought and how they are affected by
aspects of the person and the environment. The term Psychological research refers to the
detailed study of problems or concerns as related to Psychology. Psychological research is
performed by experimental and clinical Psychologists interested in a wide variety of subject
matter (e.g. health, behaviour, cognition, social, developmental etc). Most Psychological
research begins with a research question in which the Psychological phenomenon of interest is
turned into a question and methods are developed for how the research question might be
answered. Psychological researchers are often interested in specific variables. A variable is
something that can change within one person across time or across people or groups (e.g. age,
perceptions, health, height). Two important types of variables are: independent and dependent
variables. Independent variables are variables that are selected or manipulated by the researcher.
For example, a researcher might select people from more than one age groups (selected) or they
might adjust the amount of a treatment for depression (manipulated). Dependent variables are
variables that are measured by the researcher in response to changes in the independent variable.
For example, the researcher who manipulates the amount of a treatment for depression
(independent variable) is likely to be interested in how this treatment affects depressive
symptoms (dependent variable). Psychological research methods can be broadly divided into
non-experimental (e.g. descriptive and correlational research methods) and experimental
methods (quasi-experimental, experiments).

Descriptive research methods (non-experimental). As the name suggests, descriptive

studies are used to describe something. Some examples of descriptive studies include: (a) case
studies or personal histories, in which a lot of information is gathered about a single individual;
(b) observational studies, in which a researcher observes something about one or more people in
a laboratory or real world setting or; (c) survey or interview studies in which a group of people
are asked to answer open ended questions about behaviours, thoughts or events. In descriptive
studies, the researcher may be unsure of what information is going to be gathered from their
study and they are unlikely to impose strict criteria about how variables are measured or defined.
Although descriptive studies cannot provide an explanation for why something has occurred and
cannot be used to infer cause and effect relationships, these studies provide researchers with
important information that can be used to design future studies and/or to form hypotheses about
the expected outcomes of future Psychological research. A hypothesis is an educated guess about
what the results of a study might be.

Correlational research methods (non-experimental). Correlational studies examine the

presence, strength and direction of a relationship between two or more variables. Variables in
correlational research studies could be measured using questionnaires or tests (e.g. scales or
questionnaires), through observation (e.g. counting the incidence of a certain behaviour) or
asking people to divulge information (e.g. their age). Importantly, none of the variables in a
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PSYC 1110L NT, LAB #1, PART 2 3

correlation study are manipulated or randomly assigned to the participants involved, but their
measurement will be defined. One important thing to remember in the interpretation of
correlational research is that correlation does not equal causation. This means that correlational
studies cannot tell us about cause and effect. For example, let’s say that we are interested in
exploring whether there is a relationship between two variables: variable A and variable B. Even
if we discover that there is a relationship between variable A and variable B, this correlational
study would not tell us whether changes in variable A result in changes in variable B, changes in
variable B result in changes to variable A or changes in both variable A and variable B are
because of an unseen third variable (i.e., the third variable problem). As such, we cannot say that
one variable causes the other variable when using correlational study.

Quasi-experiments and Experiments (Experimental). In experiments, the researcher

systematically observes and measures variables using methods that test specific research
questions or hypotheses. Only true experiments can be used to infer cause and effect
relationships. A true experiment meets the following criteria: (1) the independent variable is
precisely manipulated by the researcher so that its effect on the dependent variable can be
measured; (2) A control group is used. A control group is a group of participants who are AS
similar as possible to the experimental group but who do not receive the key manipulation of the
independent variable and; (3) the participants are assigned to levels of the independent variable
at random or the order of exposure to the levels of the independent variable is randomly selected
(i.e., a repeated measures design is used). Random assignment means that each person has an
equal chance of being part of any group. A repeated measures design means that each participant
experiences the manipulation of the independent variable as well as the control group condition
(i.e. they are “repeatedly measured”). Let’s consider an example experiment.
Let’s say that a researcher is interested in assessing the effectiveness of a new method for
teaching Introductory Psychology. The researcher divides the Introductory Psychology class in
half randomly by flipping a coin for each student. The students who flipped ‘heads’ obtain the
standard teaching method, while the students who flipped ‘tails’ receive the new teaching
method. The researcher then compares student test scores on the final exam to determine if the
new teaching method was better than the standard teaching method. In this example, the
researcher: (1) precisely manipulated the independent variable (developed a new teaching
method to compare to the standard teaching method) and observed changes in the dependent
variable (final exam test scores) in response to the manipulation of the independent variable; (2)
employed a control group – the students who received the standard teaching method serve as the
control group whereas those that received the new teaching method are labelled the experimental
group and; (3) randomly assigned participants to either the experimental group (new teaching
method) or control group (standard teaching methods) using the flip of a coin. The flip of the
coin gave each participant an equal chance at being assigned to either of the two groups.
A quasi-experiment is also used to explore the relationship between an independent and
dependent variable but is used when precise manipulation of the independent variable is not
possible for ethical or feasibility reasons. For example, perhaps the researcher is interested in
whether the age of the student impacts the effectiveness of the new teaching method. In this
example, it is not possible to randomly assign participants to an age and so the researcher would
have to employ a quasi-experimental design to example the effects of age and teaching method
on final exam scores.4
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PSYC 1110L NT, LAB #1, PART 2 4

Randomly choose two (2) of the following research descriptions and answer the questions
above.

1. For her doctoral dissertation, Sophia is interested in understanding the relationship

between adult critical thinking skills and general critical thinking dispositions. She
administers a Critical Thinking Skills Test (CTST) and the California Critical Thinking
Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). She computes two scores from the data collected from
each participant. The CTST yields a total score ranging between 0-34, with higher
numbers indicating higher critical thinking skills. Standardized scores from the CCTDI
range between 0 and 420, with higher scores indicating stronger critical thinking
disposition.

2. For his honours thesis in Cognitive Psychology, Mr. Berenger aims to investigate the
relationship between gambling, thoughts about gambling and impulsivity. Participants in
his research study are asked to complete a survey and a demographic questionnaire. In
the demographic questionnaire, participants are asked to report the incidence of various
gambling behaviours over the past 6 months. The survey includes 75 questions that ask
participants about their thoughts about gambling and impulsivity over the past 6 months.
Mr. Berenger computes an impulsivity score from a subset of the questionnaire (score
between 25 and 75, with higher values indicating more impulsivity).

3. As a stepping stone to better understanding the psychological aspects of music, a group

of Social Psychologists at Curtin University are conducting a study to understand how
people encounter/listen to music in everyday life. Participants in their study are invited to
complete an online questionnaire that asks questions (Likert scale and open-ended
questions) about their music preferences, music listening habits and music engagement.

b) Descriptive research method has been used as it could be referred to observational studies
where people are asked open ended questions about their behaviors along with gathering of a
lot of information, which does not provide information about why this phenomenon is
occurring.

c) How much music preferences, music listening habits and music engagement in everyday
life vary person to person?

d) The following are the variables:

1. Music preferences
2. Music listening habits
3. Music engagement
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e) No independent variable was found in the following psychological research as group of social
psychologists has not manipulated any information they have received either via likert scale or
open-ended questions.

f) No dependent variable was found as no information was measured in response to change in

independent variable.

g) I hypothesize that music preferences, music habits and music engagements would certainly
distinctively vary largely as likert scale and open ended questions are provided.

4.Mental health researchers at the University of London have developed an online self-help
intervention aimed to increase life satisfaction. Participants who are enrolled in this study are
randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group obtains the online self-help intervention and
the second group obtains access to online popular culture articles on health-related behaviour.
The researchers will assess the preliminary effectiveness of the online self-help intervention by
measuring life satisfaction before and after the groups access the self-help intervention and
health related behavior articles.

b)
5.Drs. Barry and Roper would like to know if adults benefit from getting a haircut in terms of
their mental well-being, and if so, if there are differences between men and women. They
surveyed 342 participants online, asking them to complete a well-being questionnaire and
demographic questionnaire (asking about gender and age).

6.As relationship health can contribute to a person’s overall well-being, researchers at the
University of British Columbia have developed an online intervention program that focuses on
enhancing the quality of a couple’s sexual relationship. In assessing the efficacy of their
intervention, these researchers have recruited heterosexual and homosexual couples. All couples
are randomly assigned to receive the online intervention or not. Sexual relationship quality is
measured before and after the online intervention or no intervention.