Scientific method in psychology

What’s the basis of psychology

• To study people and their actions

• To study people and their emotions

• To determine reasons behind human behaviour

• To determine reasons behind actions and emotions

the Scientific method involves

• Objectivity, control, self correction and confirmation of findings

• Control, reliability, objectivity and information

• control of findings, self correction, information, objectivity

When we think there is a relationship between events we examine this relationship by

• Changing the characteristic circumstances and observing the change in the final event

• Manipulating the external circumstances and observing the change in the start event

• Manipulating the preceding circumstances and observing the change in the final event

What is a “cause and effect” relationship

• One circumstance causes the outcome

• One outcome causes the circumstances

What are some examples of a variable

• temperature

• Score on an exam

• Height

• Weight

What is an Independent Variable

• Circumstances manipulated to observe the effect on behaviour

• circumstances that are untouched that lead to an effect on behaviour

the variable that’s measured

• dependent

• Independent

• Controlled

The basis of an experiment is that we

Ms Hastings tests a group of yr 12 students to determine whether drinking more water will make them run faster.

what would be an extraneous variable for this experiment

• how far they run

• Their health status

• How much water they drink

What is an example of extraneous variables

• Weight

• Eye colour

• Health

• Occupation