Research and Testing - AP Psychology

Almost every experiment has a control group, along with one or more experimental groups. A control group must be included to serve as a baseline comparison in contrast to the experimental group. This allows experimenters to determine whether the treatment (the independent variable) creates significant change. The control group is not given experimental treatment, but may be given a placebo. Any differences between the experimental group and control group can be attributed solely to the experimental variable, as this is meant to be the only distinguishng feature between the experimental and control groups.

Qualitative studies do not measure behavior using numbers. Rather, these studies record behaviors such as dialogue, body language, and other observations. Quantitative studies measure variables numerically in order to conduct statistics on the results. All other answer choices are characteristics that are not confined to either type of study alone.

Longitudinal studies retest the same subjects multiple times over a long period of time. Some longitudinal studies can span several decades, depending on the type of data being collected. These types of studies are especially popular in the field of developmental psychology.

Applied research is always conducted with the end goal of trying to solve practical problems. The other choices may seek to help solve various issues, but this is not always the case.

Case studies are rare in psychological research, and are typically used when a subject exhibits a rare and unique symptom pattern. Case studies can also be employed in K-12 school settings to show a child's progress over time in response to various interventions.

Basic research aims to answer questions that are of concern to a particular field. These questions are more of general interest and can be much more for knowledge's own sake as opposed to means toward a specific end. For instance, trying to answer why the sky is blue doesn't have much practical application, but answers an interesting question.

Applied research aims to apply research in some concrete way. For example, researchers may try to answer specific questions so that they can develop a cure or treatment plan for particular illnesses.

A theory is a statement, concept, or idea that tries to explain some particular phenomenon or pattern in a particular field. A good theory makes a number of claims, all which can be concretely proven through thorough and extensive research that is both valid and reliable.

Validity is when the initial hypothesis is proven to be correct by the research. In other words, the experiment measures what the experimenter had anticipated.

Reliability is when the results of the research can be replicated over and over again consistently. This means that the hypothesis can be tested again in another experiment and still proven to be true.

The main advantage of using a laboratory for research is to provide a highly controlled environment where any interfering factors that may happen in the field can be phased out. This is good for studies that have an extremely narrow focus on some specific element. With regards to psychology, during a child-play experiment in a laboratory a researcher might be trying to see how a child reacts to a particular toy and observe this specific reaction. In the field, however, the child's reaction could be affected by their environment. They could become distracted by their peers and lose focus on the item and thus the researcher can't gather their data accurately.

Doing field work for reserarch can give a much more realistic picture of what would happen in the real world. This helps the researcher to discover the things they could miss in a laboratory setting and spread their net wide. For instance, a researcher may have a hypothesis about how autistic children behave in a classroom setting with other students. By observing this in a natural setting, the research considers all of the real world possibilities of this hypothesis.

A mistake that can often be made in analyzing in any sort of data is confusing correlation with causation. Correlation is when two variables have a definitive relationship with one another. For instance, if someone is trying to see why certain students perform poorly on standardized tests they may find that these students also frequently have brown eyes. The researcher may mistakenly conclude that brown eyes result in poor test performance. The correlation still exists, but it is not enought to prove causation, as a multitude of other variables may be at play in producing poor test results. Other factors may include testing environment, amount of sleep, presence of learning disabilities, etc. that are not included in this study.

The first step is to observe a phenomenon that can bear scientific study.

The second step is to form a hypothesis that can be tested experimentally.

The third step is to test that hypothesis through empirical research.

The fourth step is to analyze the data that was obtained to draw a conclusion about the findings.

The fifth step is to evaluate one's theory in light of the results of quantitative research.

The correct answer is Observation, Hypothesis, Testing, Analysis, Evaluation.

Genetics can play a huge role in many areas of development, including mental and physical capacities. While many environmental factors such as prenatal environment, nutrition, upbringing, socialization, and personal experience can have dramatic impacts on development, genes will have huge influence over, in particular, physical appearance, natural inclinations or abilities, brain development, and fine motor skills. While all of these factors may also be influenced by environmental and other factors, for instance one's physical appearance can be altered by a scar, or one's fine motor skills can be refined with training and practice, the strong influence of genetics on these areas is beyond dispute.

Unlike tests of recall memory, which ask test takers to draw the correct answer from their own memories without any cues. Recognition tests present test takers with multiple possible answers and ask them to choose the correct one.

Laboratory observation allows the researcher to have more control over the experiment and to be able to utilize more precise equipment. In naturalistic observation the researcher is observing the organism in their natural environment which gives the researcher no control of the environment. In both case studies and surveys the participant is giving the information from their point of view which also does not allow the researcher control of the experiment.

A representative sample is a sample that most clearly mirrors the population that is being studied. The proportions of subgroups should be the same as those in the population. This would be the best way to study the population. A sample from all grades would not give results that would be relevant to a study on third graders. Studying the entire population of third graders would not be feasible because of size, time, and expenses. Finally studying only students from a private school in a specific region would not give results that could be generalized for the population.

The independent variable is the variable that is believed to cause change. This is typically the variable that is referred to as the treatment. Giving the subject a sleeping pill is the treatment that could cause change. The other three answers would be considered dependent variables because they could be the variables that are influenced from independent variables.

Double-blind technique is where the researcher and the participant are not told who is in which treatment. This allows for there to be no experimenter bias. Experimenter bias is when an experimenters expectations about an experiment outcome could be subtly communicated to the participant skewing the outcome.

The control group in an experimental procedure is designed to provide an unaltered comparison to the experimental or treatment group. The control group in a study of the effects of a vegetarian diet would eat a normal, non-vegetarian diet (or whatever diet the animals ordinarily receive at the zoo).