Essay on Empirical Research

allows for participants that are more willing to adhere to the study, and therefore may impact the

If I was doing this study, my hypothesis would be that “people, who receive an aversive stimulus every time they give an incorrect answer, will try harder to get the correct answer than those who do not receive anything”. My independent variables, which are the variables that researcher manipulates, would be the electric shocks and the emotional motivation; and my dependent variable, which is the variable that is tested and measured, would be the members’ results.

Why it is difficult for researchers to isolate specific causes of child behaviour - using two of your own examples. How is the term “correlation” a solution to this problem?

Cohen states that the p-value is only able to tell us whether there is a difference between A and B. If the null hypothesis is rejected, then A is more than B, or vice versa. Unfortunately, Cohen believes that the only thing researchers are learning is whether one is larger than the other, which is not enough information. To conclude Cohen’s discussion on the statistics used in psychological research, he discusses how correlation is not causation. In terms of how to avoid continuing to make this error, Cohen does not believe that there is a way to replace NHST. First, we are not supposed to look for an easy alternative to NHST because it does not exist. Two possible solutions are to understand and improve the data that we collect and to report the effect sizes in the form of confidence intervals (Cohen, 1994).

| -They produce data on very specific, narrow topic i.e. the relationship between two variables-Experimenting on human beings in care situations raises difficult ethical issues (Moonie, Stretch, et al, 2003).-Participants usually know that they are in an experiment which may affect the behaviour they produce-It may be time consuming(Stanley, Boswell, et al, 2009).

Whether research is experimental or developmental, there are no guarantees of perfect study processes or results, since both random and systematic errors are expected. Errors and uncertainties of a study’s outcomes surface almost every time. Faulty, aged or incorrectly calibrated instruments, during an experiment, can lead to important alterations of results. Distracting environments definitely influence the outcome. Finally, the human parameter in the sense of having ability to properly operate instruments and correctly interpret measurements definitely consist another factor of imperfect research (Bell 7-9).

Researchers have studied the correlation between birth defects and tobacco. Correlation is not about cause and effect but rather how a relationship between two variables works

Experimental research concentrates on how and why something happens. It is the evaluation of how an independent variable (a manipulated factor) affects a dependent variable (an observed factor). The outcome can be affected by a number of elements; obtaining random and representative samples of the study population, experimenter bias and extraneous variables.

A developmental psychologist who used the correlational method found that there was a positive correlation between children's self-esteem and their academic achievement. First, what does a positive correlation mean in this case? Second, how might these results be explained?

However with advantages come disadvantages. For example, with correlational studies there is no background information obtained. Therefore, the reliability of the correlational studies is questioned.

In this essay I will describe correlation is a measure of association as well as describe different methods of establishing a correlation between variables. In this essay I will also explain advantages and disadvantages of each method, were each must be applied, and provide particular circumstances and examples in which a researcher may want to establish correlation

Throughout this course I have learned many things about research at an introductory level. Research is a critical part of all of our lives in many ways. God blesses each of us with a degree of common sense and we all learn from observing others even as babies, we learned behaviors and skills by observing our parents. Walking through experiences throughout life teach us a lot we need to know as well but sometimes we have to take a better approach when we need to learn about certain things. Many of us know that what works in some situations or with certain individuals doesn’t always work or is the safest option for another situation. Controlled and precisely organized study allows scientists to compare and examine contrasting methods and concepts, also helps them to discover various approaches and be able to learn from individual’s behaviors and experiences. I will act as the case study throughout this paper in order to observe what I have learned about.

Psychological research describes investigations psychologists undertake in order to review and analyse a specific hypothesis, (a theory about the relationship between defined variables). Research allows theories to be confirmed, amended or rejected and often leads to further research as requirements evolve. Psychological research can take many forms, from laboratory based experiments to non-invasive viewing of subjects in their own environment. This research can take place using human or non-human subjects and the analysed results applied to human behaviour or experience within many disciplines including, education, legal or occupational.

Observational research is type of correlational (i.e., nonexperimental) research in which a researcher observes ongoing behavior. There are a variety of types of observational research, each of which has both strengths and weaknesses. These types are organized below by the extent to which an experimenter intrudes upon or controls the environment.

In Psychology 101 we learned that research methods are used in order to understand our mental and behavioral processes by making observations in a systematic way, following strict rules of evidence and thinking critically about that evidence. This scientific research is based on theories (tentative explanations of observations in science), hypotheses (predictions based on a theory) and replication (testing a hypothesis in more than one study). Some of the different research methods are firstly, descriptive studies. Descriptive studies are studies that use survey methods, naturalistic observation and clinical methods. Another research method is correlational studies. Correlational studies are studies that help one to determine if a relationship exists between two or more variables and if so it tells one how strongly those two variables relate to one another. With in correlational studies one can have positive correlation (as one variable increases or decreases so does the other), negative correlation (variables go in opposite directions) or zero correlation (no relationship between the variables). Another research method is formal experiments. Formal experiments are studies that allow us to draw conclusions about how one variable may cause or have an effect on another variable. With in formal experiments there are four elements, which are the independent variable (variable that is manipulated or controlled), the dependent variable (variable that is measured), the experimental