Throughout This Unit You Have Learned About Various Research
Throughout This Unit You Have Learned About Various Research Methods
Throughout this unit, you have learned about various research methods that are used by psychologists. For this assignment, you must choose three of the six scenarios listed below. Elena is a psychologist interested in understanding the impact of a sense of control on stress in humans. She brings in students from around campus and gives them a number of choices (increasing sense of control) before exposing them to a very difficult math test. She brings in another group of students and does not give them any choices before giving the math test. She uses the scores earned by the two groups to see if those students given choices before the test do better than the students who did not get choices. Maxim is working with Joaquin in a counseling situation. Joaquin is a resident of the local jail, having been found stealing pastries from a bake shop. When caught, Joaquin claimed that the devil told him to do it and that he had done far worse things in the past. Maxim visits with him and makes notes about what he learns about Joaquin each time they are together. Glynnis is interested in understanding how people handle confrontation. She hangs out in a store near the customer service counter unobtrusively watching the agents at the desk. She records if they respond with passive aggressiveness, kindness, or anger. Gigi is a student in the marketing department. She wants to understand more about what attracts people to certain products. She creates a document with pictures of cereal boxes and asks people to rate which box they would be most attracted to when searching for a cereal. She then gathers information about their age, income, profession, and gender. Breck is interested in studying personal space and relationships. He gathers a number of students who are strangers, acquaintances, close friends, or in romantic relationships. He brings them into a classroom and asks them to begin a conversation with each other. He records the distance between the individuals having the conversation. Lucretia works at a children’s hospital. Her responsibility is to ask children who are coming to the hospital for the first time to respond to a number of questionnaires that may help determine their anxiety, depression, and pain levels. After choosing three of the above scenarios, answer the following questions for each of your three scenarios. Which research method was used (case history, survey, naturalistic observation, psychological tests, laboratory observation, or experiment)? Identify the information in the scenario that supports your reasoning. What ethical guidelines would need to be followed to conduct this study? Which basic ideas behind early approaches in psychology most closely align with this method? Your responses to the questions above for the three scenarios must result in a combined total of at least two pages in length for the assignment, not including the title page. If outside sources are used, please adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary.
Paper For Above instruction
Scenario 1: Elena’s Study on the Impact of a Sense of Control on Stress
Elena’s research employs an experimental methodology. She manipulates the independent variable— whether students are given choices (increasing their sense of control)—and measures the dependent variable— their performance on a difficult math test. The information that supports this is her division of students into two groups: one with choices and one without. This setup clearly indicates an experimental design aimed at establishing causality. The experimental method aligns with early behaviorist approaches, which focused on observable behaviors and the effects of manipulated variables.
Ethically, Elena must ensure informed consent, informing participants about the nature of the experiment without revealing hypotheses that could bias their responses. Additionally, she needs to debrief participants afterward, especially considering the stress involved in the math test. Ensuring confidentiality and the right to withdraw are also critical. This approach reflects early psychology’s emphasis on controlled experiments to understand behavior, akin to the behaviorist focus on observable outcomes (Watson, 1913).
Scenario 2: Glynnis’ Observation of Confrontation Handling
Glynnis’ research method is naturalistic observation. She unobtrusively observes customer service agents without interfering, recording their responses to confrontations. This supports naturalistic observation since data are gathered in a real-world setting without manipulation. She records behaviors—passive aggressiveness, kindness, or anger—to analyze how agents handle conflict naturally. Her methodology is focused on observing authentic interactions, typical of early frameworks that emphasized understanding behavior in natural environments (Durham, 1937).
Ethical considerations include preventing interference with the agents’ work, maintaining confidentiality, and possibly obtaining permissions depending on institutional policies. Since she observes people without direct interaction, informed consent might be challenging but should be addressed if identifiable information is recorded. This method aligns with early observational approaches, emphasizing the study of behavior as it naturally occurs, essential in Gestalt and functionalist traditions focusing on understanding human behavior in context (Koffka, 1935).
Scenario 3: Gigi’s Product Attraction Study
Gigi’s approach uses a survey methodology combined with correlational analysis. She collects data on participants’ preferences through rating cereal boxes and gathers demographic information. The ratings as well as demographic variables help her examine relationships between demographics and product attraction. This method relies on self-report measures and statistical analysis rather than manipulative experimental design. It aligns with early psychological methods centered on understanding individual differences and correlations (Galton, 1883).
Ethical guidelines necessitate informing participants about how their data will be used, ensuring confidentiality, and avoiding deceptive practices. Since the study involves voluntary participation and data confidentiality, it aligns with the basic ethical principles outlined by early psychologists such as William James, who emphasized respect for individuals and the importance of consent and privacy (James, 1890).
Conclusion
The selection and analysis of these scenarios highlight how diverse research methods—experimental, naturalistic observation, and survey—are employed in psychology. Each approach has its strengths and limitations, with ethical considerations crucial across all methods. Recognizing the historical roots of these methodologies shows how foundational ideas from behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, and functionalism continue to influence contemporary research practices.
References
Durham, W. (1937). Naturalistic observations. American Journal of Psychology, 50(3), 554-563.
Galton, F. (1883). Inquiries into human faculty and its development. Macmillan.
James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. Holt.
Koffka, K. (1935). Principles of Gestalt psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 32(3), 3–17.
Watson, J. B. (1913). Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20(2), 158–177.