This slide and the next two relate to APA Outcomes 1.1b and 2.1 as they outline the goals of psychology and provide a general discussion of the nature of psychology as a science.
Figure 2.1. 1. Observe. The rat jumps toward the checkerboard panel on the left. 2. Detect regularities in behavior . The researcher notes that the rat, over repeated trials, consistently jumps to the checkerboard on the left. 3. Generate a hypothesis: If I move the checkerboard to the right, the rat will jump to the right. 4. Observe to test the hypothesis . Here the hypothesis turns out to be wrong. The rat jumps left again, instead of following the checkerboard.
This slide and the next 27 -- the slides that describe descriptive, correlational, and experimental research -- related to Learning Outcomes 2.2a - 2.2c, involving an understanding of the different research methods used by psychologists.
Figure 2.2 . At the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, researchers gauged the popularity of exhibits by noting how quickly the vinyl tiles in front of each display wore out. The chick-hatching exhibit proved to be extremely popular.
This slide may inform the achievement of Outcome 2.3: Evaluate the appropriateness of conclusions derived from psychological research . The slide outlines conc epts that would help students evaluate the generality of research findings.
This slide applies to Outcome 4.2c, identifying the appropriateness of psychological tests and measurements .
This slide and the next 5 relate to Outcome 2.3.
Figure 2.4. The top row shows the differences between the mean (arithmetic average), the median (middle point in a set of scores), and the mode (most frequently occurring score) for tips earned per day in a restaurant. The bottom row shows how the mean can be affected by an extreme score, in this case for the day you received $150 in tips. Notice that the extreme score has no effect on the median or mode. This slide is relevant to the quantitative literacy objectives described as a component of Outcome 7.3.
Figure 2.5 . Researchers are often interested in variability, the extent to which scores in a set differ from one another. Each of these two distributions has the same average, or mean, but the distribution on the left has more variability. Notice that the difference between the mean and a particular score, such as 83, is the same in the two cases. But scoring 8 points above the mean is highly unusual in the distribution on the right, and more common in the distribution on the left. If you received a score of 83, which class would you rather be in? This slide is relevant to the quantitative literacy objectives described as a component of Outcome 7.3.
Figure 2.7 . Each point in the scatterplot shows an individual’s scores on each of the two variables. (a) In a strong positive correlation, the values for both variables move in the same direction; that is, as more hours are worked, more tips are received. (b) In a negative correlation, the values for the two variables move in opposite directions; that is, as more time is spent practicing, fewer errors are made during the recital. This slide is relevant to the quantitative literacy objectives described as a component of Outcome 7.3.
This slide, especially, is relevant to Outcome 2.2c, the ability to distinguish between designs that permit causal conclusions from those that do not.
Figure 2.9 . The hypothesis is tested by manipulating the independent variable and then assessing its effects on the dependent variable. If the only systematic changes are in the independent variable, the experimenter can assume that they are causing the changes measured by the dependent variable.
Figure 2.10. Volunteers are randomly assigned to two levels of the independent variable. Each participant has an equal likelihood of being assigned to any of the groups or conditions in the experiment. Random assignment increases the chances that unique subject characteristics will be represented equally in each condition.
This slide and the next four describe ethical considerations involved in psychological research and are therefore relevant to Outcomes 2.5 and 5.1.