Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

1.
d; 2.
(1) W
e can study some phenomena in animals more easily than 
we can in people, because with animal subjects we have greater contr
ol 
over environmental and genetic factors. (2) Lar
ge numbers of similar 
participants can be easily obtained. (3) We can look at generational 
effects much mor
e easily in animals, because of their shorter life span, 
than we can with people; 3.
tr
ue; 4.
placebo; 
5.
Ther
e are far too few 
participants. Without a lar
ger sample, no valid conclusions can be drawn 
about ice cream pr
eferences based on gender
.
K E Y T E R M S
informed consent p. 49
experimental bias p. 52
placebo p. 53
feL82795_ch02_030-057.indd Page 55 7/23/10 2:56 PM user-f465
feL82795_ch02_030-057.indd Page 55 7/23/10 2:56 PM user-f465
/Users/user-f465/Desktop
/Users/user-f465/Desktop

---

This page intentionally left blank 

---

57
Looking
Back
Psychology on the Web
1. Identify a product or a service that is advertised on the Internet using broad, unspe-
cifi c claims, such as a weight-loss formula or a body-building method. Find at least 
two advertisements on the Internet for that product or service, and evaluate the 
claims they make according to the principles discussed in this group of modules. 
Summarize the evidence that is presented for those claims, and describe a method 
by which you might confi rm the claims by using actual research. 

2. Find a website that focuses on an important social issue (for example, urban violence, 
gender diff erences in hiring or promotion, poverty), and locate descriptions of a 
research study about the issue. Evaluate the study by identifying the hypotheses that 
were tested, the methods used to test them, and the validity of the results that were 
reported.
We have been discussing the ways in which psycholo-
gists seek to understand phenomena and answer 
questions of interest. We examined the scientifi c method and its reliance on posing 
good questions, creating productive theories, and crafting testable hypotheses. We also 
looked at the basic methods psychologists use to conduct research studies and com-
pared correlational methods and experimental methods. Finally, we explored some of 
the major challenges that psychologists have to deal with when conducting research, 
including ethical considerations, the use of animals in research, and potential bias. 
Before leaving this topic, reconsider the lack of bystander help in the case of 
78-year-old Angel Torres, who was hit by a car and lay in the road, receiving no help 
from bystanders. Refl ect on the following questions in light of what you now know 
about conducting psychological research.
1. Suppose you were interested in studying why a hit-and-run driver (like the one who 
hit Torres) would leave the scene of an accident. What theory might you construct to 
explain such behavior?
2. Design a correlational study to test one of your hypotheses. Which correlational 
method(s) (archival research, naturalistic observation, survey research, case study) 
would you use in your study?
3. Design an experimental study to test the same or another hypothesis. Describe the 
experiment, including the participants, the experimental manipulation, the treatment, 
and the independent and dependent variables.
Epilogue
feL82795_ch02_030-057.indd Page 57 21/07/10 1:29 AM user-f463
feL82795_ch02_030-057.indd Page 57 21/07/10 1:29 AM user-f463
/Volumes/202/MH00543_r1/hin73516_disk1of1/0073373516/Access_Archive/hin73516_...
/Volumes/202/MH00543_r1/hin73516_disk1of1/0073373516/Access_Archive/hin73516_

---