Lecture 16- Applied Research Methods

Question 1

What is the scientist practitioner model?

Answer 1

The idea that practicing psychologists should have a strong foundation in research so that they can use evidence based practice.

Question 2

What does Geissler (1917) say about the aim of applied psychology?

Answer 2

To improve well being

Question 3

What are the two types of incorrect conclusions we can get from a properly designed study? Why might they arise?

Answer 3

• False positives: concluding an intervention works when it doesn’t. Can arise from confounding variables or not doing random assignment.
• False negatives: concluding an intervention doesn’t work when it does. May arise because study is statistically underpowered= doesn’t have enough individuals to produce a statistically significant result (p value less than 0.05).

Question 4

What is the consequence of a false positive?

Answer 4

Individual wastes time and money on an intervention that doesn’t work when they could have been receiving better treatment

Question 5

What is reliability as opposed to validity?

Answer 5

• Reliability= consistency. If we repeat the measurement will we get the same result?
• Validity= does the stuff actually measure what it claims to measure

Question 6

Do reliability and validity covary?

Answer 6

• Sometimes, but also have cases where have one or the other i.e the study is valid but not reliable
• For conclusions to be valid a study needs to be both reliable and valid

Question 7

What are the two types of reliability?

Answer 7

• test-re-test reliability= administer the same test on repeat and get the same results. Need if property is unchanging but in some cases would expect variables to vary with time (systematic change).
• Interrater reliability= qualitative component, involve subject assessment by a expert. If different people did the assessment you would get the same result I.e. but things in place to ensure this like a marking schedule

Question 8

What are the three types of validity?

Answer 8

Absolute validity: The DV alters in the exact same way as the IV, is definitely as cause of this variable. Needed if want to make decisions based solely on our data

Relative validity: see the same patterns of data but not direct correlation.

Face validity: whether the simulator appears to participants to be a good substitute for the real thing. Even if lacks face can still have relative validity so sometimes deemed insignificant by applied psychology researchers.

Question 9

What is applied psychology more likely to do in terms of research methods as opposed to pure psychology?

Answer 9

• Applied research= more likely to mix methods

- Pure stick to one method primarily

Question 10

How does context differ between pure and applied psychology research?

Answer 10

Pure= isolating and controlling variables to look at broad principles and theories

Applied= focus on influence in world, set up experiment to test the theory in a real world context reflecting what situation they are wanting to apply to knowledge to (specific)

Question 11

What does WEIRD stand for? What does it describe?

Answer 11

• Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic
• It described the vast majority of participant pools in modern psychology research (often use undergrad psychology students)
• The consequence of this is that these populations often don’t represent how most people in the word think. Western societies tend to have more individualistic brains and think in different ways.

Question 12

What did the line problem show?

Answer 12

• It’s not just social issues that WEIRD populations differ to as compared to eastern populations but more cognition ones as well.
• The bottom line appears longer for western/ WEIRD populations because of the way we typically see arrow heads whereas for individuals not of this culture the perceptual environment growing up differed and thus they see the lines as the same length
• We need to be careful when assuming findings generalize to all people

Question 13

When can you use a WEIRD population?

Answer 13

-When your population of interest is WEIRD

Question 14

Are all WEIRD countries the same?

Answer 14

No

Question 15

What do you have to include in your participant’s section of lab report?

Answer 15

Give enough description of participants so that everyone knows who the findings are likely to apply to

Question 16

Do we always just want to be looking at averages?

Answer 16

No sometimes our focus is on thus who aren’t typical/ average because these are the individuals where things are not working and they need help

Question 17

What is the difference being statistical and practical significance?

Answer 17

• We can’t just view results in terms of the P value and statistical significance that is very black and white. Besides with a large enough sample anything can be statically significant
• Instead, especially in applied psychology, we need to view things considering the practical significance and for this we look at the effect size.

Question 18

Do we expect to be able to perfectly replicate findings in applied psychology? Is this true of pure research as well?

Answer 18

• No applied research is all about a specific context so we know that every time you repeat the context changes slightly so you don’t get the same results, nor would you want to
• Pure research on the other hand is systematic and you have tight control over the variables so you would expect the findings to replicate

Question 19

What is the difference between experimental and descriptive research methods?

Answer 19

• The experimental method consists of deliberately producing a change in one or more causal or independent variables and measuring the effect of that change on one or more dependent variables. The key to good experiments is control. That is, only the independent variable should be changed, and all other variables should be held constant or controlled. Control is difficult in an applied setting where participants perform the experiment within a specific real world context/ environment.
• As control is loosened, out of necessity, the researcher depends progressively more on descriptive methods: describing relations that exist, even though they could not be actually manipulated or controlled by the researcher. Observation is key.

Question 20

What is a two by two factorial design?

Answer 20

Factorial designs are where you have more than one independent variable or factor in a single experiment. 2 x 2 implies 2 independent variables with each having 2 levels resulting in 4 experimental conditions. Allows to determine main effects but also interaction.

Question 21

What is counterbalancing and why is it important?

Answer 21

• This simply means that different subjects receive the treatment conditions in different orders.
• Important in within subject designs to avoid confounding due to order in which participants experience conditions. If not controlled practice effects may occur or the participant may simply be tired from having carried out all these previous tasks so impaired in last one.

Question 22

What is a confounding variable and why is it practically important in applied psychology?

Answer 22

• Confounding variable= an additional factor that may be explaining the trend in results aside from just the independent variable.
• Particularly important in applied psychology because it’s all about using psychology in specific situations and contexts to help people. If our findings are to be helpful we need to figure out what exactly is causing the desired or undesired effect (we don’t want to give the wrong advice).