Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

E VA LU AT E
1.
An explanation for a phenomenon of interest is known 
as a 
.
2.
To test this explanation, a researcher must state it in terms 
of a testable question known as a 
.
3.
An experimenter is interested in studying the relationship 
between hunger and aggression. She decides that she will 
measure aggression by counting the number of times a 
participant will hit a punching bag. In this case, her 
defi nition of aggression is the number of times 
the participant hits the bag.
R E T H I N K
1.
Starting with the theory that diffusion of responsibility 
causes responsibility for helping to be shared among by-
standers, Latané and Darley derived the hypothesis that 
the more people who witness an emergency situation, the 
less likely it is that help will be given to a victim. How 
many other hypotheses can you think of that are based on 
the same theory of diffusion of responsibility?
2.
From a lawyer’s perspective: Imagine that you are assigned 
to a case similar to the one of Kitty Genovese. Your super-
visor, who is unfamiliar with psychological research, asks 
you to provide information about the eyewitnesses to ex-
plain why they did not help her. What would you include 
in your report?
Answers to Evaluate Questions
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Research —systematic inquiry aimed at the discovery of new knowledge—is a central 
ingredient of the scientifi c method in psychology. It provides the key to understand-
ing the degree to which hypotheses (and the theories behind them) are accurate. 
Just as we can apply different theories and hypotheses to explain the same phe-
nomena, we can use a number of alternative methods to conduct research. As we 
consider the major tools that psychologists use to conduct research, keep in mind 
that their relevance extends beyond testing and evaluating hypotheses in psychology. 
All of us carry out elementary forms of research on our own. For instance, a super-
visor might evaluate an employee’s performance; a physician might systematically 
test the effects of different doses of a drug on a patient; a salesperson might compare 
different persuasive strategies. Each of these situations draws on the research prac-
tices we are about to discuss. 
Let’s begin by considering several types of descriptive research designed to sys-
tematically investigate a person, group, or patterns of behavior. These methods 
include archival research, naturalistic observation, survey research, and case studies.
Archival Research
Suppose that, like the psychologists Latané and Darley (1970), you were interested 
in fi nding out more about emergency situations in which bystanders did not provide 
help. One of the fi rst places you might turn to would be historical accounts. By 
searching newspaper records, for example, you might fi nd support for the notion 
that a decrease in helping behavior historically has accompanied an increase in the 
number of bystanders. 
Using newspaper articles is an example of archival research. In