Scientific Method
PSYCHOLOGICAL Uses both reasoning and intuition
STATISTICS for establishing truth, it reliance on
objective assessment is what
LESSON 1: STATISTICS AND SCIENTIFIC differentiates this method from the
METHOD others
At the heart of science lies the
Methods of Knowing scientific experiment, the method of
Authority science is rather straightforward
Reasoning deductively from existing
Something is considered true theory or inductively from existing
because of tradition or because facts or through intuition
some person of distinction says it is The data from the experiment are
true. then analyzed statistically, and the
We may believe in the theory of hypothesis is either supported or
evolution because our distinguished rejected
professors tell us it is true, or we The feature of overriding
may believe that God truly exists importance in this methodology is
because our parents say so that no matter what the scientist
Rationalism believes is true regarding the
hypothesis under study, the
Uses reasoning alone to arrive at experiment provides the basis for an
knowledge objective evaluation of the
There is a great number of situations hypothesis
in which reason alone is inadequate Scientific methodology has a built-in
in determining the truth safeguard for ensuring that truth
Reason alone, then, may be assertions of any sort about reality
sufficient to yield truth in some must conform to what is
situations, but it is clearly demonstrated to be objectively true
inadequate in others about the phenomena before the
Intuition assertions are given the status of
scientific truth
Intuition, we mean that sudden
insight, the clarifying idea that Terms That Are Usually Used
springs into consciousness all at Population
once as a whole
It is not arrived at by reason, on the The complete set of individuals,
contrary, the idea often seems to objects, or scores that the
occur after conscious reasoning has investigator is interested in studying
failed
In an actual experiment or research, gender, number of subjects, and so
the population is the larger group of on
individuals from which the subjects The data as originally measured are
run in the experiment have been often referred to as raw or original
taken scores
Sample Statistic
Subset of the population Number calculated on sample data
In an experiment or research, for that quantifies a characteristic of the
economical reasons, the investigator sample. Thus, the average value of a
usually collects data on a smaller sample set of scores would be called
group of subjects than the entire a statistic
population. This smaller group is
Parameter
called the sample
Number calculated on population
Variable
data that quantifies a characteristic
Any property or characteristic of of the population
some event, object or person that The average value of a population
may have different values at set of scores
different times depending on the It should be noted that a statistic
conditions. and a parameter are very similar
Height, weight, reaction time, and concepts. The only difference is that
drug dosage are examples of a statistic is calculated on a sample
variables. and parameter is calculated on a
Independent Variable population
o Variable that is
Scientific Research
systematically manipulated
by the investigator Observational Studies
Dependent Variable
no variables are actively
o Variable that the investigator
manipulated by the investigator, and
measures to determine the
hence observational studies cannot
effect of the independent
determine casuality.
variable
Included within this category of
Data research are:
o Naturalistic Observation – a
The measurements that are made
major goal is to obtain an
on the subjects of an experiment
accurate description of the
Consist of the measurements of the
situation being studied.
dependent variable or of other
Much anthropological and
subject characteristics, such as age,
etiological research is of this
type
o Parameter Estimation –
conducted on samples to
estimate the level of one or
more population
characteristics (e.g. the
population average or
percentage). Surveys, public
opinion polls, and much
market research fall into this
category
o Correlational Studies – the
investigator focuses
attention on two or more
variables to determine
whether they are related
True Experiments
an attempt is made to determine
whether changes in one variable
cause changes in another variable
an independent variable is
manipulated and its effect on some
dependent variable is studied. If
desired, there can be more than one
independent variable and more than
one dependent variable.
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
Statistical Analysis
Descriptive Statistics – concerned
with techniques that are used to
describe or characterize the
obtained data
Inferential Statistics – involves
techniques that use the obtained
sample data to infer to populations
