I am in the midst of teaching experimental psychology this term. Like many of the other respondents to this thread, I try to teach students to think clearly about research so that they can, at least, be intelligent consumers of research. I also explain the differences between correlational and experimental research and discuss the strengths and weaknesses associated with each approach. Much of the critical thinking part of the methods course centers on the logic behind manipulations in experiments (to create meaningful comparisons and eliminate rival explanations). I also discuss how an understanding of the control and elimination of rival explanations in experiments helps us evaluate and interpret the results of quasi-experimental and correlational studies. I try to emphasize that there is no such thing as the "perfect" experiment. We must always make choices between imperfect options, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The art of good research design depends on knowing enough about those strengths and weaknesses to make good choices when designing our research.
My course has an associated laboratory. One of the first projects carried out by my students is to design and collect data based on naturalistic observations. Students are required to build some sort of comparison into their data collection, but they are allowed to select a public behavior that interests them. The main purpose of this project is to allow students to discover the importance of a precise definition of terms and procedures to arrive at usable observations. Things were complicated this term by the arrival of a hurricane during the week they were collecting data, but that created the opportunity to discuss problems posed by history effects. Even without the aid of a hurricane, they usually learn that the best-laid plans are often waylaid by the complexities of observation in the real world. This gives them a real appreciation for the level of control we are able to exert in later projects done in the laboratory. Claudia ________________________________________________________ Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology Phone: (850) 474 - 3163 University of West Florida FAX: (850) 857 - 6060 Pensacola, FL 32514 - 5751 Web: http://www.uwf.edu/psych/stanny.html --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
