Ch. 02 Learning Objectives (Psych 5)

	Psychology, 5/e Wortman, Loftus & Weaver
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Chapter 2 - Research Methods

Learning Objectives

Discuss the three goals of psychological research.
Define random sampling and representative sampling, and describe ways to ensure that a sampling technique is reliable.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the following research methods: survey, naturalistic observation, case study, correlation, regression, and experiment.
Define correlation coefficient, and discuss the interpretation of the sign (positive or negative) and the size (0 to 1) of a correlation.
Explain how an experiment is conducted; distinguish between experimental and control groups and between independent and dependent variables.
Explain how behavioral genetics can be used to identify the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences to a behavior.
Focusing on environmental influences, explain how behavioral genetics can be used to identify the relative contributions of shared environmental and nonshared environmental influences.
Explain what is meant by the term central tendency, and define each of its three measures.
Describe two measures of dispersion.
Describe the characteristics of a normal distribution, including the standard deviation and symmetry.
Discuss each of the pitfalls to avoid in conducting psychological research, and indicate what steps can be taken to avoid them.
Summarize the American Psychological Association’s ethical guideline regarding harm when conducting research with human participants.
Discuss the debate between proponents of ecological validity and proponents of scientific integrity.

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