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University of Phoenix Material Understanding the Research Process

Resources: Ch. 1, 2, and & 7 of Psychology

This required Portfolio assignment will provide you with the opportunity to practice and hone your research skills. It has been designed to help you think scientifically about real world problems and issues and to apply your knowledge of the research process to various topics in Psychology. This assignment accomplishes that goal by challenging you to: Differentiate between the common use of the word research and the use of the word research in the social and behavioral sciences Identify the major steps in the research process using a classic study in Psychology as an example. Part I: Defining Research The word research is used in many different ways. Consider the following examples: Your friend tells you that he intends to research different hair products before deciding on one to buy. A real estate agent advises you to research home values in your neighborhood before putting your house on the market. A police officer reports that she is doing some research on possible motives for a crime that was committed. A writer states that he does extensive research before beginning his fictional works.

Answer the questions below:

1. How is research defined in the social and behavioral sciences?

Social science researches an knowledgement of how individuals relate with society; studies the human society and individual relationships in the interior and to society. Social science has a close relationship with many different areas of research and studies including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and history. Several different scientific methods use research to test hypotheses and theories to observe relationships between different variables. Correlational

research uses the method to view relationships between variables such as viewing a relationship between aggression and media violence. Correlational research will not allow researchers to distinguish if a variable cause a change in another variable. An experimental research uncovers key causal relationships between variables researchers selectively assign a participant to one of two groups such as the control group or the experimental group. A control group participant undergoes no treatments he or she serves as a baseline. The experimenter will manipulate levels of independent variables within the group and measure the effects because he or she can control the independent variables to find the causal relationships between the variables. The behaviorists (or behavioral) perspective also called behaviorism, focuses on the way objects or events in the environment (stimuli) come to control behavior through learning. Thus, the behaviorist perspective focuses on the relation between external (environmental) events and observable behaviors (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Behavioral science studies human and animal actions and reactions through observational and experimental methods. Behavioral science has a close relationship with different areas of research and studies such as sociology, anthropology, and psychology. The primary metaphor of behavioral research is humans and animals are similar to machines. For example, pushing a button triggers an automatic response for an appliance such as a microwave to start. A primary method of behavioral research is experimental it frames a hypothesis or prediction on the way certain environmental events affect behavior. An experimenter can systematically modify a situation and observing reoccurring results. This experimental method uses a setting within the laboratory to test the hypothesis or prediction. For example, taking two subjects (rats) putting each rat in the same environment except on environment contains food and observing result of how fast it takes each rat to reach a point. When the research measures data of the results and the accuracy of his or her prediction he or she can apply the results to practical questions such as how employers can maximize an employees productivity. Two sentence examples: The researcher is conducting a research study to determine the relationship between aggression and media violence. The researcher is using a behavioral science method to research two animals actions and reactions to two different environments. 2. What makes scientific research different from the examples provided above? In your response, be sure to address the characteristics of good psychological research.

The word research has a similar meaning in a certain aspect except scientific data deals with different systematical facts. Systematic facts arrange and show operation through collection of data to answer and solve problems by producing theories to predict event(s) or answer a question(s) using scientific discipline. In psychology theories organize and predict behavior and mental processes using general guidelines such as formulating problems, designing studies, collecting data, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions from the data he or she collects. When a study is complete procedures and conclusions display results in a scientific journal which allows other researcher to replicate or refute through his or her findings when he or she performs a study of his or her own. Behavioral science uses

observations and recording responses on how ones mind functions using methods and data of psychodynamic perspectives. Researchers focuses his or her attention on the way objects or events in ones environment come to control ones behavior through learning. Instead of studying thoughts, feelings, or fears, behavioral neuroscientists (some of whom are physicians or biologists rather than psychologists) investigate the electrical and chemical processes in the nervous system that underlie these mental events (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Behavioral science uses a framing process for his or her hypothesis or prediction to determine the way certain a environment affects ones behavior. The researcher observes reoccurring results, tests the hypothesis or prediction, generalize data, and makes a conclusion or prediction. Part II: Understanding the research process Researchers in Psychology follow a systematic process of investigation. Carefully read Chapter 2 of your textbook, paying special attention to the section on Experimental Research. Then go to Chapter 7 in your textbook and read the following section: Research In-Depth: Counterfactuals and If Only Thinking. Answer the questions below, using Medvec & colleagues first study as an example: 1. What hypothesis did Medvec & colleagues set out to test in their first study of the near miss phenomenon? Describe the theory associated with this hypothesis.

To test the thoughts of human mind to see if it produces an emotional reaction such as taking the alternate route home and having an accident If only I had taken the usual route home, then this wouldnt of happened (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). A tendency to imagine an alternate outcome known as counterfactual thinking is the ability to think of alternative outcomes. To test the hypothesis of the near miss phenomenon that the ease of generating counterfactuals could lead some individuals with more positive objective outcomes to actually feel worse about their situation compared to some whose objective situation was actually worse (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). 2. Identify the variables in the study and describe how they were measured. How did the researchers operationalize (test or measure) affective response upon winning a bronze or silver medal?

The researchers produce a study to provide an affect of reaction; they create two videos the first video includes a segment displaying silver and bronze medallists at the moment of the winning announcement. The other segment shows medallists on the podium. The two variables, researchers show to a group of college students. The college students take instructions to evaluate the athletes happiness on appearance using a scale (10-point scale) with ranges of the lowest point agony to the highest point ecstasy. Responses were average across providing an overall index of the satisfaction of the appearance of the athletes. The researchers hypotheses: the bronze medallist appearance was significantly more satisfying than the silver medallists even when the medallists were objectively worse off. The prediction on the counterfactual thinking imagine what was going through the heads of the silver and bronze medallists (Kowalski & Westen, 2011) one has the ability to think of alternate

outcomes. The study helps researchers determine the validity of his or her findings. A experiment should consist of the following to find validity results: Theoretical framework Standardized procedures Generalizability Objective measurement 3. Who were the participants in the study and what did they do? The college students are known as representatives of the population they are a whole group, samples. The college students contribute to the generalizability of a study conclusion. 4. Describe the data that was collected and analyzed. The researchers use a 10-point scale to measure the evaluations given by each of the college students. The scale ranges from the lowest agony to the highest ecstasy. 5. Describe the results of the study. What did the researchers conclude? The conclusion of the test was average across the participants overall index shows how satisfied each of the athletes appeared (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). The researchers hypotheses bronze medallist appeared significantly more satisfied than silver medallist (even thought objectively they were worse off) (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). 6. If you were to design a follow-up experiment on this subject, what might it be? A follow-up experiment on this subject would be known as a multiple measures or converging operations. Multiple measures therefore provide a safety net for catching errors (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Reference Kowalski, R. & Westen, D. (2011), Psychology. (6th ed). John Wiley & Sons, Inc

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