Goals of Research

1
Goals of Research

• Description
• Explanation
• Prediction
• Control (i.e., treatment, prevention)

2
Some important terms in psychological research

• Inference, hypothesis
• Validity internal, external, and construct
• Reliability
• Independent and dependent variables
• Correlation versus causation
• Random assignment and random sampling

3
Approaches to research

• Naturalistic observation
• Correlational studies
• Experimental studies (control vs. treatment
  groups, issues of placebo)
• Epidemiological (incidence and prevalence)
• Kinship studies (concordance rates and adoption
  studies)
• Case study

4
Steps in the scientific method

• Formulate question
• Frame question in terms of a testable hypothesis
• Test hypothesis (collect and analyze data)
• Draw conclusions (including exploring
  alternative, plausible hypotheses