Studying Human Behavior - Methods — Flashcards

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The five main goals are: (1) Description – accurately observing and recording behavior; (2) Prediction – forecasting behavior based on patterns; (3) Explanation – identifying causes of behavior; (4) C…

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Description means accurately observing and recording a behavior to distinguish it from others. For example, a researcher studying student study habits might describe behaviors like attending class reg…

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Prediction involves forecasting behavior based on observed patterns. If a strong relationship exists between two variables, we can predict one from the other. For example, if research shows that more …

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Explanation refers to identifying the causes or factors that lead to a particular behavior. Psychologists want to know why a behavior occurs. For example, instead of just noting that some children are…

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Control means being able to change a behavior by altering its causes. Once we understand what causes a behavior, we can influence it—either increase, decrease, or maintain it. For example, if we find …

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The final goal is Application – using psychological knowledge to bring positive changes in people's lives. It’s important because it connects theory to real-life benefits. For example, applying medita…

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The steps are: (1) Conceptualising a problem, (2) Formulating a hypothesis, (3) Collecting data, (4) Analysing data and drawing conclusions, and (5) Revising research conclusions and theories. These s…

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A hypothesis is a tentative answer or prediction about the relationship between two variables. It is based on prior knowledge or observation and must be testable. For example: 'Greater time spent watc…