Overview & Goals for Ch. 2

Overview of Ch 2: Psychological Research

In this module, you'll find out why psychology is a science. As scientists, we rely on research to answer questions about human behavior and mental processes. You'll discover the various types of "research methods" psychologists use, how we analyze findings and the importance of ethics.

After successfully completing this learning module, students will be able to:

Explain how scientific research addresses questions about behavior

Discuss how scientific research guides public policy

Appreciate how scientific research can be important in making personal decisions

Describe the different research methods used by psychologists

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys, and archival research

Compare longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches to research

Explain what a correlation coefficient tells us about the relationship between variables

Recognize that correlation does not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between variables

Explain random sampling and assignment of participants into experimental and control groups

Discuss how experimenter or participant bias could affect the results of an experiment

Identify independent and dependent variables

Discuss how research involving human subjects is regulated

To meet the learning outcomes in this module, students are expected to complete the following:

Read Ch 2 on Psychological Research

Take the Ch. 2 Quiz