Psychology as a science
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| psychology/saɪˈkɒlədʒi/ | psychology |
| perspectives/pəˈspektɪvz/ | Different viewpoints or approaches used to understand an issue or explain behaviour. |
| research methods/rɪˈsɜːtʃ ˈmeθədz/ | research methods |
| independent variable/ˌɪndɪˈpendənt ˈveərɪəbl/ | An input or factor whose value is chosen or varied to examine its effect on another quantity. |
| dependent variable/dɪˈpendənt ˈveərɪəbl/ | The measured or calculated outcome whose response to changes in another variable is studied. |
| counterbalancing/ˈkaʊntəbælənsɪŋ/ | Varying the order of experimental conditions across participants to reduce order effects. |
A second attempt can change the result
- A class recalls more words with music, but everyone tried silence first. Practice may explain the difference.
- Psychology 心理学 studies behaviour and mental processes systematically. A plausible explanation needs a design that can challenge it.
What does calling psychology "scientific" commit it to?
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Everyone has theories about people. Evidence is what separates the ones that survive a test.
Separate explanation from method
- Biological, behavioural, cognitive, humanistic and psychodynamic perspectives 视角 emphasise different explanations. Use the requested perspective and state its mechanism.
- Research methods 研究方法 include experiments, observation and surveys. An experiment changes an independent variable 自变量 and measures a dependent variable 因变量.
"Cognitive" and "experiment" are two words for the same thing.
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Cognitive is a perspective — a way of explaining. An experiment is a method — a way of finding out.
Plan a comparable test
- For music and memory, keep study time, room and list difficulty comparable. Reusing the same list may itself create practice effects.
- Counterbalancing 平衡设计 gives some participants music first and others silence first. It helps balance order effects; it does not eliminate every carryover effect or create an experiment by itself.
In the music-and-memory study, match each element to its role.
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The manipulation, outcome and controls support the comparison. Selection, order, carryover and ethics also need attention.
Report the evidence and limits
- Compare recall in the two conditions and record variation. A small classroom result does not establish that music helps every person or every kind of learning.
- Plan appropriate consent, withdrawal arrangements, risk minimisation and debriefing under the approved procedure. A correct prediction is not an ethical requirement.
Why swap the order of conditions for half the participants?
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Counterbalancing helps distribute order effects. It does not create an experiment by itself or eliminate every carryover effect.
A class uses the same words twice, always with silence first. Does counterbalancing alone remove the risk of remembering the words?
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Swapping order can balance some order effects, while learning the same words may still influence the later attempt.
Carry the design to a new question
- For a comparison of two teaching methods, using different lesson topics can introduce another explanation. Comparable topic difficulty matters as well as lesson length.
- Identify the manipulation, measure, competing explanation and safeguard. A perspective is an explanatory approach; a method collects evidence.
Music first for group A and silence first for group B balances order. If the same words are repeated, earlier learning may still carry over.
Counterbalancing does not make two unequal tasks comparable. Check list difficulty and repeated exposure as well as order.
Identify the manipulation, measure, competing explanation and safeguard. A perspective is an explanatory approach; a method collects evidence.
Which must a study design include? Choose all that apply.
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Plan consent, voluntary participation and an appropriate debrief under the approved procedure. A correct prediction is not required.