Research Designs
A psychologist observes the social behaviors of children playing at a park without interfering. The goal is to see how children naturally interact with each other in a playground setting.
Naturalistic Observation
What is the Operational definition of illness in this study?
Research Question: Does the frequency of common cold infections affect job performance?
In this study, illness is measured as "the occurrence of at least two symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, cough, or fatigue, lasting for more than 48 hours and diagnosed by a healthcare professional as a common cold."
Study: Participants are surveyed about the number of days they had the common cold in the past month and are asked to rate their job performance (on a 5-point scale) during that time. The goal is to examine the impact of illness on work productivity.
The operational definition of illness is measured by the occurrence of at least two symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, cough, or fatigue, lasting for more than 48 hours and diagnosed by a healthcare professional as a common cold.
Mean: Explain what the mean hours of sleep (6.8) tells us about the students in this study.
Researchers investigated whether high school students who sleep more tend to perform better on attention tasks. They collected data on students’ hours of sleep per night and their scores on a sustained-attention test (0–50 points). Below is a summary of the sleep data and the correlation between sleep and attention performance.
Mean hours of sleep: 6.8
The mean shows that on average, the students slept 6.8 hours per night. It's the overall average of all sleep amounts reported in the study.
Researchers wanted to study how music tempo affects focus. Before participating, students were given a form explaining the purpose of the study, what tasks they would do, any possible discomfort (wearing headphones for 20 minutes), and their right to withdraw at any time. Only students who signed the consent form participated.
Informed consent/ Right to withdraw
What is Ms. centone's birthday? Must state day and year. Bonus points for guessing correct zodiac sign.
November 25th 1997/ Sagitarius
A researcher examines the relationship between the amount of time students spend studying and their academic performance.
Correlational
What is the operational definition of academic motivation?
Research Question: Does academic motivation influence how persistently college students work on difficult tasks?
In this study, researchers examined motivation by looking at the score on the Academic Achievement Orientation Scale, a validated 20-item questionnaire ranging from 20–100, with higher scores indicating greater intrinsic motivation.
Study: Students complete the motivation scale at the beginning of the semester. Later, they are given an unsolvable puzzle and the researcher measures how long each student continues trying before giving up. The goal is to see whether strongly motivated students persist longer.
The operational definition of academic motivation was measured by participant responses to the the Academic Achievement Orientation Scale, a validated 20-item questionnaire ranging from 20–100
Median: Explain what the median hours of sleep (7.2) represents and why it might differ from the mean.
Researchers investigated whether high school students who sleep more tend to perform better on attention tasks. They collected data on students’ hours of sleep per night and their scores on a sustained-attention test (0–50 points). Below is a summary of the sleep data and the correlation between sleep and attention performance.
Median hours of sleep: 7.2
The median indicates that half the students slept more than 7.2 hours and half slept less.
The fact that the median is higher than the mean suggests that some lower sleep values may be pulling the average downward (a left-skew).
Researchers examined whether framing effects influence memory. Participants were told they would be completing a “word-recognition task,” but the real purpose was to examine false memory creation. Immediately after the study, participants were fully debriefed—the researchers explained the deception, the real purpose, and answered any questions.
Debrief Patients on purpose of study and use of deception.
What is one of Ms. Centone's favorite movies? there are Four.
The Titanic
The Notebook
Remember the Titans
Monsters University
A researcher tests the effect of caffeine on concentration by giving one group of participants coffee and another group a placebo). The researcher then compares the concentration levels (measured by a test) between the two groups to see if caffeine improves concentration.
Experiment
What is the operational definition of emotional regulation?
Research Question: Do people who regulate their emotions well show lower physiological responses under stress?
Study: Participants take the inventory, then complete a stressful task—giving a 3-minute speech in front of a panel. During the speech, researchers measure heart rate variability using a chest-strap monitor. They examine whether individuals with stronger regulation skills show smaller physiological spikes.
Researchers analyzed emotional regulation by examining the participant’s score on the Emotion Regulation Skills Inventory, specifically the reappraisal subscale (0–30).”
The operational definition of emotional regulation was measured by the participant’s score on the Emotion Regulation Skills Inventory, specifically the reappraisal subscale (0–30).”
Explain the meaning of the mode in this study.
Researchers studied whether the amount of sleep high school students get is related to their performance on a sustained-attention test. Students reported how many hours they typically sleep per night. Their attention was measured using a computerized reaction-time task.
Summary statistics for hours of sleep:
Mode: 8 hours
The mode means that 8 hours was the most commonly reported amount of sleep among all students in the sample.
A study on social anxiety collected video recordings of participants giving a short speech. The task itself was stressful but within minimal risk. Rather than storing the footage with names, each file was labeled with a randomized 4-digit ID. The researcher who analyzed the videos never saw participants’ real identities.
Confidentiality
Where did Ms. Centone go to college?
University of Rhode Island
A psychologist studies a patient with a rare brain injury that affects memory. The study follows this individual over several years to understand the effects of the injury on behavior and memory, providing in-depth insights into how the brain works.
Case Study
State the operational definition of social awareness.
A study investigated whether students with greater social awareness are better at interpreting emotions during peer interactions. Participants watched short video clips of students discussing conflicts. Researchers relied on participants’ accuracy scores on an emotion-identification test, which required choosing from six emotion labels for each clip. Performance during real peer conversations was coded afterward.
The operational definition of social awareness was measured by participants’ accuracy scores on an emotion-identification test
Explain the meaning of the standard deviation in this study?
Researchers studied whether the amount of sleep high school students get is related to their performance on a sustained-attention test. Students reported how many hours they typically sleep per night. Their attention was measured using a computerized reaction-time task.
Summary statistics for hours of sleep:
Standard Deviation: 1.9
A standard deviation of 1.9 hours means that students’ sleep habits varied a moderate amount.
Most students’ sleep amounts were roughly about 2 hours above or below the average, showing that sleep patterns were not perfectly consistent.
A research team wanted to measure physiological fear responses. They used a dark room, sudden loud bursts of noise, and unpredictable flashes of light. The study lasted up to 20 minutes, but participants were told only that they were “participating in a sensory perception task.
Risk to more than minimal harm and Lack of full disclosure about potential distress
How many dogs and siblings does Ms. Centone have?
3 and 3
A researcher conducts an analysis of several studies on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating depression. The analysis combines data from multiple studies to determine whether CBT is generally effective in treating depression across different populations.
Meta Analysis
State the operational definition of emotional support.
A study investigated whether receiving more emotional support from close friends reduces physiological stress. Before completing a difficult puzzle under time pressure, participants listed people they turn to for comfort during negative situations. Researchers relied on the total number of supportive statements participants reported receiving from their closest friend in the past month, based on a structured interview. Stress levels were tracked using heart rate monitors.
The operational definition of emotional support was measured by the total number of supportive statements participants reported receiving from their closest friend in the past month.
Explain what this correlation indicates about the relationship between sleep and attention scores.
Researchers studied whether the amount of sleep high school students get is related to their performance on a sustained-attention test. Students reported how many hours they typically sleep per night. Their attention was measured using a computerized reaction-time task.
Summary statistics for hours of sleep:
Correlation between sleep and attention performance: r = +0.72
A correlation of +0.72 means there is a strong positive relationship between the two variables.
In the sleep study example, this would mean:
⭐ Students who sleep more tend to perform significantly better on the attention test.
1=strong positive correlation
-1 =strong negative correlation
0=no correlation
Researchers attempted to study fear conditioning by unexpectedly playing extremely loud noises while participants viewed images. The noises were intense enough to cause several participants to cry or leave the room. After the study, researchers simply dismissed them
Exposed participants to more than minimal psychological harm
No debriefing
Risks not justified by the study
Who is Ms. Centone's favorite student?
It's all of you hehe :)