Name __________________________

AP Psychology
Research Methods

AP Psychology
Research Methods

Big Question: How do psychologists conduct research in their field? What is the process for proving or
disproving a hypothesis? What sets experiment apart from other types of scientific research?

Research Methods Objectives (taken from the College Board):

 Differentiate types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey research, naturalistic
observation, case studies) with regard to purpose, strengths, and weaknesses
 Describe how research design drives the reasonable conclusions that can be drawn (e.g.,
experiments are useful for determining cause and effect; the use of experimental controls reduces
alternative explanations)
 Identify independent, dependent, confounding, and control variables in experimental designs
 Distinguish between random assignment of participants to conditions in experiments and random
selection of participants, primarily in correlational studies and surveys
 Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research design (e.g.,
confounding variables limit confidence in research conclusions)
 Distinguish the purposes of descriptive and inferential statistics
 Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts, including interpreting and constructing graphs and
calculating simple descriptive statistics (e.g., measures of central tendency, standard deviation)
 Discuss the value of reliance on operational definitions and measurement in behavioral research
 Identify how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices
 Describe how ethical and legal guidelines (e.g., those provided by the American Psychological
Association, federal regulations, local institutional review boards) protect research participants and
promote sound ethical practice

Research Methods Overview

This unit forms the basis for everything else you will learn about in psychology. All of the terms,
concepts, and ideas that researchers have “put a name to” were learned about, identified, and replicated at some
point through experimentation. Experiments are the definitive way to prove causation between any two
variables.
Numerous types of research methods will be discussed, including case studies, surveys, correlational
studies, naturalistic observation, and experimentation. Each method has its positives and drawbacks. Some are
quick and cheap but can provide misleading results (surveys), some attempt to show universal principles
through a single case but may not apply to the whole population (case studies), some show authentic behavior
but can’t be interrupted (naturalistic observation), some show connection but can’t prove causation
(correlational studies), and some show cause and effect but can be expensive or contain confounding variables
(experimentation).
The scientific method must always be applied when performing an experiment, and all ethical standards
set by the American Psychological Association must be followed. The research methods unit will also examine
when and how animals can be experimented on.

Research Methods Chapter Study Guide

Complete the following study guide as you read the assigned pages for class and listen to class lectures/discussions. Do NOT copy
word-for-word from the book. Answer in your OWN WORDS.

1. Why are theories and hypotheses important in psychology? Why do we need to replicate studies that
have been conducted?

2. Justin Bieber has just hired you as his personal experimenter. He is interested in only one goal: dating as
many girls as possible. Justin is wondering if the length of his hair makes a difference in how many
girls go out with him. How would you set-up this experiment? After describing your experiment, label
the Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, and any Confounding Variables.

3. Because you’ve gained world renown for your work with JBieb, your high school hires you as their new
consultant. They’d like you to create an experiment that determines the effect of study time on
exam performance. Create an experiment that determines this. After describing your experiment, label
the IV, DV, Control Group, Experimental Group, and any confounding variables.
4. What is one advantage and one disadvantage of Surveys?

5. Create an example where a naturalistic observation would be more appropriate than a case study.

6. Which of the six experimental ethics we discussed in class do you believe to be the most IMPORTANT
and which do you think is the LEAST important? Why?

7. The Emma Watson Question: Emma grew up in England but has spent
most of her professional life in the United States. Because she is an
amazing actress, she has perfected both an English and an American
accent. She wonders which accent people prefer. In Harry Potter 8: The
Seductress’s Secret, she used an American accent. In Harry Potter 9:
The Revenge of Ron, she used a British accent. Harry Potter 8
grossed $1.2 billion dollars worldwide. Harry Potter 9 grossed $1.21
billion dollars worldwide. Emma concludes people prefer her British
accent. Why would the term “statistical insignificance” apply to her
faulty thinking?

8. When would it be more appropriate to use a double-blind study than a single-blind study?
 9. What type of data set might create a negatively skewed distribution? (You can make up an actual data
set of numbers or just generally describe what it would include.)
NOTE: Don’t confuse this with correlations! Distributions and
correlations ARE DIFFERENT!!!

Key Terms
Using your own words, write a brief definition or explanation of each of the following. Feel free to be as succinct as possible as long
as the definition makes sense to you. Do this after or while reading the assigned pages for class.

1. descriptive studies -

a. survey -

b. case study -

c. naturalistic observation -

d. correlational study -

i. positive correlation -

ii. negative correlation -

2. experiment -

a. theory -

b. hypothesis -

c. independent variable (IV) -

d. dependent variable (DV) -

e. experimental group -

f. control group -

g. confounding variables -

h. experimental ethics -

i. animals in experimentation -
 j. population -

k. sample -

l. random sample -

m. random assignment -

n. Hawthorne effect -

o. placebo -

i. placebo effect -

p. self-fulfilling prophecy –

q. single-blind study -

r. double-blind study -

s. operational definitions -

t. reliability -

u. statistical significance -

3. descriptive statistics -

a. mean -

b. mode -

c. median -

d. normal distribution -

e. positively skewed distribution -

f. negatively skewed distribution -

g. range -

h. standard deviation -

4. inferential statistics -