Audrey Quesnel

Tuesday February 8, 2011

MP-3
A.P. Psychology
Experimental, Correlational, and Clinical Research
• Correlation does not prove causation; it simply shows
the strength of the relationship among variables.
• Clinical research often takes the form of case studies.
o Case studies are intensive psychological studies of
a single individual.
• Researchers try to ensure that their studies are
generalizable; that is applicable to similar
circumstances because of the predictable
outcomes of repeated tests.

Experimental Design
• An important feature of studies is the operational
definition.
• Operational definitions have to be valid
(measuring what they are supposed to measure)
and reliable (able to be repeated under similar
conditions).
• Group matching is another experimental design
technique by which researchers attempt to
categorize subjects (by age, health status, gender,
etc.) and ensure that the control group has
members similar to those in the experimental
group.
• Naturalistic observation which researchers use to
witness and record situations without becoming
involved or drawing attention to the study.