CHAPTER TWO REVIEW
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN
PSYCHOLOGY?
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?
how psychologists gain knowledge about the brain and behavior
This occurs in 5 steps:
1. Observing a phenomenon:
a. theory: a broad idea or a set of ideas or related concepts that explain or predict
a phenomenon
→ creating a theory or asking a question
2. Formulating a hypothesis and a prediction:
a. hypothesis an educated guess coming logically from a theory or from previous
research on the topic
b. the more hypotheses created on the subject (related to the theory) the more
credibility the hypothesis and theory gain
c. prediction: is the expectation of the result of a theory
3. Testing the theory through empirical research:
a. empirical method: gaining knowledge by collecting objective evidence (using
objectivity)
b. this is the step of conducting inquiries, collecting data, analyzing information,
etc.
c. variables: are anything that can change or take on different values
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW 1
, d. operational methods/definitions: provide descriptions of how variables will be
measured
i. ED DEINE AND THE SWLS
4. Drawing conclusions:
a. this is the step where psychologists ask
i. does the data support the predictions?
ii. what does the data tell us about the theory?
b. these findings are published in professional articles and in high-quality
5. Evaluation of the theory:
a. doing more research on the topic to validate the results
b. replicating the study: could be direct replication (meaning doing the study again
in the same way) or conceptual replication (doing the study again with different
methods)
i. this establishes reliability
→ meta-analysis: a statistical procedure that summarizes a body of evidence from
research literature on the topic
combine findings in literature, making them more powerful than any other results
What Research Designs Are Used in
Psychology?
There are two groups of designs mainly used in psychological research:
1. descriptive methods: learn about dimensions of variables and the strengths of their
relationships
2. experimental methods: establish valid causal relationships between the variables
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW 2
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN
PSYCHOLOGY?
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?
how psychologists gain knowledge about the brain and behavior
This occurs in 5 steps:
1. Observing a phenomenon:
a. theory: a broad idea or a set of ideas or related concepts that explain or predict
a phenomenon
→ creating a theory or asking a question
2. Formulating a hypothesis and a prediction:
a. hypothesis an educated guess coming logically from a theory or from previous
research on the topic
b. the more hypotheses created on the subject (related to the theory) the more
credibility the hypothesis and theory gain
c. prediction: is the expectation of the result of a theory
3. Testing the theory through empirical research:
a. empirical method: gaining knowledge by collecting objective evidence (using
objectivity)
b. this is the step of conducting inquiries, collecting data, analyzing information,
etc.
c. variables: are anything that can change or take on different values
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW 1
, d. operational methods/definitions: provide descriptions of how variables will be
measured
i. ED DEINE AND THE SWLS
4. Drawing conclusions:
a. this is the step where psychologists ask
i. does the data support the predictions?
ii. what does the data tell us about the theory?
b. these findings are published in professional articles and in high-quality
5. Evaluation of the theory:
a. doing more research on the topic to validate the results
b. replicating the study: could be direct replication (meaning doing the study again
in the same way) or conceptual replication (doing the study again with different
methods)
i. this establishes reliability
→ meta-analysis: a statistical procedure that summarizes a body of evidence from
research literature on the topic
combine findings in literature, making them more powerful than any other results
What Research Designs Are Used in
Psychology?
There are two groups of designs mainly used in psychological research:
1. descriptive methods: learn about dimensions of variables and the strengths of their
relationships
2. experimental methods: establish valid causal relationships between the variables
CHAPTER TWO REVIEW 2
