Methods of Testing in Psychology: Observation, Self-Report, and Experimentation

Psychology may not be as rigidly empirical as physics or chemistry, but it is a science nonetheless. So how precisely do psychologists do science? What methods do they utilize to gather data? What is a case study, and how can these be used to generate hypotheses? How do psychologists utilize observation, self-report, and experimentation? Let's get a closer look!

Script by Caitlyn Finton

Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience!

[charrylee]

I'm a Chinese student. Your series of videos about psychology, chemistry and geology are very helpful for me not only to get more knowledge but also to prepare for TOEFL. Thank from China🆙

[allak]

Omg are you starting psychology series??? I am a chemist, but psychology is a big passion of mine, so I’m super excited !😍😍😍

[carolinnicolai]

I'm preparing a psychology presentation right when I saw the upload. How do you always know what I need, Dave? 😭❤🌟

[pigeonmlk]

Your videos are very interesting and well made,
Thank you Professor Dave for the great content!!

[hossamfarag]

You are amazingly transparent in explaining. I admired your weird population mention. You are a real scientist. Thank you for your amazing videos.

[HexagonSun]

The non-weird population thing made me laugh so hard 😂

[BobJones-bgui]

I never heard of weird experiments before. Nice

[midorifuse]

Wow I can learn Psychology for free. Thank you very much for making this series.

[WhoopDeeDamnDoo]

“Recent historical work, however, suggests that much of the canonical (Phineas) Gage story is hogwash, a mélange of scientific prejudice, artistic license, and outright fabrication. In truth each generation seems to remake Gage in its own image, and we know very few hard facts about his post-accident life and behavior.”

[Eeshaa-]

Please clear my confusion is the control group independent variable or dependable variable ?

[lkk]

Love how they call decided to call the "weird" population weird even tho the people that came up with it were problem a part of it.
Shows a little bit of good humor from them lol

[kirthirao]

Is there any chance that we can get estern history of psychology 😢

[reaabdullaAbdulla]

Image is so useful for psychology Lerner's.differnt upload

[ThatisnotHair]

You forgot blinding of participants as well as expirement. To avoid audience effect and expirementer bias. Peiple change their behaviour when they feel someone is watching them.

[Chazzy]

Hey, I just saw your video on response on globebusters...omg they're so dumb man..they can't actually prove what they're saying lol... anyways I'm interested in psychology and this video helped me :)

[mayanlogos]

On the WEIRD situation

"WEIRD" psychology refers to the tendency of psychological research to disproportionately focus on populations that are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. This bias in research samples can limit the generalizability of psychological findings to populations outside of these categories, leading to a lack of understanding of human behavior and cognition in diverse cultural contexts.

There are several reasons why there isn't yet a more developed approach for non-WEIRD regions:

1. **Historical Bias:** Psychology as a discipline has its roots in Western countries, particularly Europe and North America. Early psychological research was conducted primarily on WEIRD populations, leading to a bias in the literature that persists to this day.

2. **Research Infrastructure:** Many non-WEIRD regions may lack the resources, infrastructure, and expertise to conduct large-scale psychological research. This can limit the ability of researchers in these regions to contribute to the development of a more diverse and inclusive psychological literature.

3. **Cultural Sensitivity:** Conducting research in non-WEIRD regions requires a deep understanding of the cultural context, values, and norms of the population being studied. Researchers must navigate linguistic, cultural, and ethical considerations to ensure that their findings are valid and applicable across diverse cultural contexts.

4. **Collaborative Efforts:** Addressing the bias in psychological research requires collaborative efforts between researchers from both WEIRD and non-WEIRD regions. This includes promoting cross-cultural collaborations, sharing resources and expertise, and prioritizing research that includes diverse populations.

Efforts are being made to address the limitations of WEIRD psychology and develop a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to psychological research. These include advocating for diversity in research samples, promoting cross-cultural research collaborations, and developing theoretical frameworks that account for cultural differences in human behavior and cognition. However, progress in this area is gradual and requires ongoing efforts from researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies to prioritize diversity and inclusivity in psychological research.

[JurassicBlaze]

It's interesting to be taught by Scientific Cr1tikal.

[francishubertovasquez]

I have to open this topic before I forgot in my mind the context due to being busy. The Multi- verse wherein in every universe each have their own world with the versions of ourselves existing in a different status and in different behavior as the result of interconnectivities of each universe to each other in varied occurrences and events but with the same characters such as ourselves as explained by various scientists, physicists, astronomers, cosmic analysts. Now my question, why there's a need to project and create many versions of ourselves each in every universe of multiverse, what's the purpose? To assess us in every situation and stages unique from each other? Y'know God is all knowing, no knowledge can be added to God because He is the Alpha and Omega, He knows everything, He is perfect in everything, and only God can create such colossal thing of creation. Then why? to create a shield in every space area by creating something to occupy that so that any non permitted being or spirits can never pass through and through? I think that's a shallow reason. What if God put angels into a test by assigning them in every event and situation of ourselves in each world of every universe in the multiverse? I think that's a bit possible. What if God also put into a test the regulators, controllers, and scriptwriters, and event creators at higher domains of spiritual offices? What if God also put into a test the judgment and analysis abilities of the 24 Elders in the North Mountain of God above the 3rd Heaven? What if God permits the good and evil to do their experiments within His creations, because when it comes to evil experimentations during the Holocaust in World War 2 they created experimentations on Jews people who are captives of the Nazi, Human experiments in this present time by infusing illegal drugs to society and observing the least to worst human behavior and changes, by reversing creation of humans instead of man and woman they prioritize gays and lesbians to decrease birth rate and to favor only the high echelons of society to procreate and their followers. By creating pandemics like the Covid-19 to create changes to human immune system adaptation and data recordings, to experiment in mutant creation if that's their intention indeed. The good side experiments on cure, creating free radical farming techniques and less side effects on medication and products with less reactive oxygen species, helps our immune system deal with new diseases, attempts to reverse the genetic mutation, producing non harmful research and development products. Experiments in people and society of creating pressures to others that includes bullying and suppression, how they will act in a group doing such thing to others, and how the other will react to such difficult situation, how we behave towards money and goals, as we are all being tested. But even our quick reactions or quick reflex movements are readable and predictable to God. Then why He do such thing of creation? I think maybe it's about How we will have a freewill not forced in such a way that though we have that freewill we will choose God's way by our own will without any pressures from others as we already experienced what is good and bad. Maybe it's like that.

[jyotivyas]

Actually We Find it Very much WIERD biased. 😮I am an Indian/ Bharat.Thank you Mr Professor for Revealing this😮😮😂😂. Sounds Good and Feeling Sooo This Western Physchology doesn't suits Us. Morever Often. We own our Own Scriptures which balances Our Brain. Thank you to Our Rishi Muni Bhagwaans.
Still I like Freud and Jung.
ॐ नमः शिवाय। jai Bharat. Jai Shri Krishna. 🎉❤😊💐💐💐😂😂

[gowrissshanker]

Respected sir🌟, consider we have an Stern gerlach DETECTOR oriented right to left, IF WE PASS AN SINGLE SPIN UP ELECTRON (detected UP by another detector) it would be either DEFLECTED RIGHT OR LEFT in our detector....IF WE DO NOT OBSERVE IT AND MAKE IT TO PASS THROUGH....EVEN THOUGHT WE DO NOT OBSERVE....THE GERLACH DETECTOR WOULD EXPERIENCE AN NET FORCE OPPOSITE TO THE DEFLECTION DIRECTION OF ELECTRONS(Newton's law) RIGHT??
IS THAT AN MEASUREMENT???
DOES IT COLLAPSES THE WAVE FUNCTION???
Does gerlach DETECTOR always MEASURES while DETECTING??
THANK YOU sir🌟🌟