Transcript Module 4: Research Challenges: Exploring the Process

Module 4: Research Challenges: Exploring
the Process
Learning Objectives
• What major issues confront
psychologists conducting research?
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Research Challenges
Ethics
• Protection of participants from
physical and mental harm
• The right of participants to privacy regarding
their behaviour
• The assurance that participation in research is
completely voluntary
• The necessity of informing participants about
the nature of procedures prior to participation
in the experiment
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Companies, Inc. Permission required for
reproduction or display.
Research Challenges
Participants
Do subjects represent the scope of human
behaviour?
Animals
Should animals be used in research?
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Companies, Inc. Permission required for
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Threats to Experiments
• Experimental bias
Factors that distort how the independent variable
affects the dependent variable in an experiment
• Experimenter expectations
• Participant expectations
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Companies, Inc. Permission required for
reproduction or display.
Threats to Experiments
• Placebo
A false treatment, such as a pill, “drug,” or other
substance without any significant chemical properties
or active ingredient
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Companies, Inc. Permission required for
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Becoming An Informed Consumer
of Psychology
• What was the purpose of the research?
• How well was the study conducted?
• Are the results presented fairly?
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Recap/Evaluate/Rethink: Module 4
• 1. Ethical research begins with the concept of informed consent.
Before signing up to participate in an experiment, participants
should be informed of:
•
•
•
•
A.
B.
C.
D.
The procedure of the study, stated generally
The risks that may be involved
Their right to withdraw at ay time
All of the above
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