Psychology assignment

Introduction to experimental psychology

By Alphy Biju
BAP/21/440o
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behaviour. Psychology includes the study
of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It embraces all
aspects of the human experience, from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations,
from child development to care for the aged. There are different types of psychology, such as
cognitive, forensic, social, and developmental psychology.

Experimental psychology is a branch of psychology Which is concerned with the scientific

investigation of the scientific response of individual to any stimuli control settings.

The field of experimental psychology branches out into many various sub-fields and directions
with people believing in various things. Even now scientists do not have a clear picture of the
connection between the mind and the body. There have been many different attempts to
unravel and end the dilemma. Understanding even the majority of the connection and the
brain by itself will be a major development in today's science. The attempt has brought on
many big collaborative initiatives with big names like the Human Brain Project coming to mind.
Psychology in itself has had a long history and has shaped itself in various ways and directions.

History of Experimental Psychology

Experimental psychology today is completely different from what the discipline looked like
years and centuries ago. Back then we didn't have the technology and the infrastructure
available to us today. The question of mind and body was on the lips of many prominent
philosophers. Nameslike Plato and Aristotle come to mind when the first mentions of the
mind-body problem arise. The arguments and debates over free will and determinism and
nature vs. nurture take roots centuries ago. These debates are still prevalent nowadays. They
turn into years long research projects in the fields of experimental psychology and
neuroscience.
Philosophical beginnings: nature vs. nurture & free will vs. determinism
Famous philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and René Descartes made the first references to
experimental psychology. Plato and Aristotle both contemplated the famous nature vs.
nurture question.
The beginning of psychology as a discipline emerged in Leipzig, Germany. In 1879 Wilhelm
Wundt built his first experimental laboratory on the grounds of the University of Leipzig.
Wundt governed the term introspection. Wundt believed that by asking subjects to talk in
detail about the perience during an assigned task, he will be able to develop a guideline for
the consciousness elements.
Another branch of experimental psychology went into quite the opposite direction from what
Wundt and his colleagues were doing. It solidified the ground for what later would become
behavioural psychology. Behavioural psychology would dominate the field of the entire
discipline for quite some time.
The functionalists, as they called themselves, tried to understand why humans and nonhuman
animals behaved in the way they do.

Some famous psychological experiments

The history of psychology is filled with fascinating studies and classic psychology experiments
that helped change the way we think about ourselves and human behaviour. Sometimes the
results of these experiments were so surprising they challenged conventional wisdom about
the human mind and actions. In other cases, these experiments were also quite controversial.

Some of the most famous examples include Milgram's obedience experiment and Zimbardo's
prison experiment.

Harlow's Rhesus Monkey Experiments

In a series of controversial experiments conducted in the late 1950s and early 1960s,
psychologist Harry Harlow demonstrated the powerful effects of love on normal development.
By showing the devastating effects of deprivation on young rhesus monkeys, Harlow revealed
the importance of love for healthy childhood development. Hisexperiments were often
unethical and shockingly cruel, yet they uncovered fundamental truths that have heavily
influenced our understanding of child development.

Pavlov's Classical Conditioning Experiments

Pavlov was actually studying the digestive systems of dogs when he noticed that his subjects
his
began to salivate whenever they saw his lab assistant. What he soon discovered through
experiments was that certain responses (drooling) could be conditioned by associating a
previously neutral stimulus (metronome or buzzer) with a stimulus that naturally and
automatically triggers a response (food). Pavlov's experiments with dogs established classical
conditioning.
The Asch Conformity Experiments
The study revealed that people are surprisingly susceptible to going along with the group, even
when they know the group is wrong. In Asch's studies, students were told that they were

taking avision test and were asked to identify which of three lines was the same length as a
in their assessments. In other
target lineWhen asked alone, the students were highly accurate
As a result, many of the
trials, confederate participants intentionally picked the incorrect line.
real participants gave the same answer as the other students, demonstrating how conformity
could be both a powerful and subtle influence on human behaviour.

Experimental method

The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one
variable cause changes in another variable. This method relies on controlled methods, random
assignment and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis. It allows researchers to
look at cause-and-effect relationships

In the experimental method, researchers identify and define key variables, formulate a
hypothesis, manipulate the variables and collect data on the results. Extraneous variables are
carefully controlled to minimize a potential impact on the outcome of the experiment.

There are a few different types of experiments that researchers might choose to use. The type
of experiment chosen might depend on a variety of factors including the participants, the
hypothesis and the resources available to the researchers. Lab experiment, field experiment,
quasi experiments.
Characteristics of experimental psychology
Some of the characteristics of experimental psychology are as follows:

Subjects are randomly arranged into equivalent groups, giving rise to statistical
equivalence so that the differences between the results are not due to initial
differences between groups of subjects.
Existence of two or more groups or conditions to be able to carry out the comparison
between them. Experiments can not be performed with a single group or condition
to be compared.
Management of an independent variable, in the form of different values or
circumstances. This direct manipulation is done to be able to observe the changes
that it produces in the dependent variables. In addition, the assignment of values and
conditions must be done by the researcher, because if this were not so, it would not
be considered a real experiment.
. Measure each dependent variable by assigning numerical values so that the result
can be evaluated and thus speak of an experimental investigation.
.Have a design with which you can control to a greater extent the influence of the
foreign variables and to avoid that the results are affected by them.
Use inferential statistics to make generalizations of research to the population.
Variables

A variable is object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category you
an are
trying to measure. There are two types of variables-independent and dependent.

Independent variable - It is a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other

variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone's age might be an independent
variable. Other factors (such what they eat, how much they go to school, how much
as
television they watch) aren't going to change a person's age. In fact, when you are looking for
some kind of relationship between variables you are trying to see if the independent variable
causes some kind of change in the other variables, or dependent variables.

Dependant variable - It is something that depends on other factors. For example, a test score

could be a dependent variable because it could change depending on several factors such as
how much you studied, how much sleep you got the night before you took the test, or even
how hungry you were when you took it. Usually when you are looking for a relationship
between two things you are trying to find out what makes the dependent variable change the
way it does.

Extraneous variables are all those that can disturb the relationship between independent and
dependent variables. These variables needs to be controlled by the experimenter as they have
the tendency to impact or influence the results of the experiments to a large extent. They
sometimes are also kept constant. In an experiment to see the effects of smoking on Health
extraneous variables will be used to see the availability of cigarette, willingness of the
participant, so this needs to be kept constant.

Organismic variables are those any relatively characteristics of an organism like physical ,sex,
age weight, height. These variables cause an individual to engage in behaviour related to their
species

Stimulus variables are those Elementary stimuli differ in mortality visual auditory olfactory etc.
according to the sense which they stimulate. In every modality, stimuli vary in intensity and
duration. Ee- stimuli of light vary in colour, wavelength, etc.

Response variables are those The content of the response can vary in several ways in terms of
accuracy, speed or quickness of the response, single response or multiple response, frequency
of the response, strength of the response, etc.

Behavioural equation
Kurt Lewin's behaviour equation is "B = {(P, E". It states that an individual's behaviour (B) is a
function (f of the the person (P), including their history, personality and motivation, and their
environment (E), which includes both their physical and social surroundings.
 In this model "P" includes the entirety of the person including their past, their present, their
expectations of the future, their personality, their capabilities, their motivations, their desires,
and so on. And "E" includes all aspects of the person's environment at the time of any
behaviour including their physical environment, but also their social environment and
contexts.

One way to think about this is that the ex same individual can beh in very different ways
if their environment changes and, similarly, an individual can behave in very different ways in
the exact same situation as they change as a person over time.

One key take away from Lewin's Behaviour Model is that if we're looking to change someone's
behaviours, then we can do so through changing either them as a person or their
environment. The same is true of populations of people as well.

Experimental design
1. A-B-A:(within subject design) ABA refers to a specific type of research design in which you
have a baseline period where no treatment is given and/or no variable is introduced (A),
followed bya period in which the treatment orvariable is introduced (B), and then a period in
which the treatment is removed so the behavior can be observed a second time (A). This
where you can ensure behaviour before treatment, during treatment and after treatment.

2. A-B-B-A : The A-B-A-B design represents an attempt to measure a baseline (the first A), a
treatment measurement (the first B), the withdrawal of treatment (the second A), and the re
introduction of treatment (the second B). In other words, the A-B-A-B design involves two
parts:(1) gathering of baseline information, the application ofa treatment and measurement
of the effects this treatment; and (2) measurement of a return to baseline or what happens
when the treatment is removed and then again applying the treatment and measuring the
change.
3. Control group: The control group is composed of participants who do not receive the
experimental treatment. When conducting an experiment, these people are randomly
assigned to be in this group. They also closely resemble the participants who are in the
experimental group or the individuals who receive the treatment.

Steps of formulating the experiment

Review pertinent literature to learn what has been done in the field and to become
familiar enough with the field to allow you to discuss it with other.
Observation: Observation is basicallythe first step towards any scientific research. It is a
way for gathering data through observing the subjects. The researcher has to go to the
participants' environment and observe the way they behave, react and respond to the
natural phenomenon.
 .Define your objectives and the hypotheses that you are going to test. You can't be
vague. You must be specific. A good hypothesis is:
a. Clear enough to be tested

b. Adequate to explain the phenomenon

c. Good enough to permit further prediction

d. As simple as possible

Specify the population on which research is to be conducted

Evaluate the feasibility of testing the hypothesis. One should be relatively certain that
an experiment can be set up to adequately test the hypotheses with the available
resources. Therefore, a list should be made of the costs, materials, personnel,
equipment, etc., to be sure that adequate resources are available to carry out the
research. If not, modifications will have to be made to design the research to fit the
available resources.
Select Research Procedure: Once the hypothesis is ready, the next challenge for the
researcher is to choose a proper research design method to run the entire study through.
This will depend on how he wants his research to be conducted. Whether the research
wants his sample to be assigned randomly, or not, whether there are any control variables,
matters a lot while selecting an approach for the research.
Results The final component that defines an experimental design is, of course, the results.
After the observations, surveys and interviews and running the research process through
any one of the above-mentioned types of research design, the researcher will have the
result of the hypothesis testing. This result will be either for or against the hypothesis.

Types of experiments with strengths and weaknesses

Lab experiments

laboratory experiment is an experiment conducted under highly controlled conditions (not

necessarily a laboratory), where accurate measurements are possible.

The researcher decides where the experiment will take place, at what time, with which
participants, in what circumstances and using a standardized procedure.

An example is Milgram's experiment on obedience or Loftus and Palmer's car crash study.

Strength: It is easier to replicate (i.e. copy) a laboratory experiment. This is because a

standardized procedure is used.
Strength: They allow for precise control of extraneous and independent variables. This
allows a cause and effect relationship to be established.
 Limitation: The artificiality of the setting may produce unnatural behaviour that does
not reflect real life, i.e. low ecological validity. This means it would not be possible to
generalize the findings to a real life setting
Limitation: Demand characteristics or experimenter effects may bias the results and
become confounding variables.

Field experiment

Field experiments are done in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the participants. The
experimenter still manipulates the independent variable, but in a real-life setting (so cannot
really control extraneous variables).
An example is Holfing's hospital study on obedience.

Strength: behaviour in a field experiment is more likely to reflect real life because of its
natural setting, i.e. higher ecological validity than a lab experiment.
Strength: There is less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results, as
participants may not know they are being studied. This occurs when the study is covert.
Limitation: There is less control over extraneous variables that might bias the results.
This makes it difficult for another researcher to replicate the study in exactly the same
way.

Natural experiment

Natural experiments are conducted in the everyday (i.e. real life) environment of the
participants, but here the experimenter has no control over the independent variable as it
Occurs naturally in real life.

For example, Hodges and Tizard's attachment research (1989) compared the long term
development of children who have been adopted, fostered or returned to their mothers with a
control group of children who had spent all their lives in their biological families.

Strength: behaviour in a natural experiment is more likely to reflect real ife because of
its natural setting, i.e. very high ecological validity.
Strength: There is less likelihood of demand characteristics affecting the results, as
participants may not know they are being studied.
Strength: Can be used in situations in which it would be ethically unacceptable to
manipulate the independent variable, e.g. researching stress.
Limitation: They may be more expensive and time consuming than lab experiments.
Limitation: There is no control over extraneous variables that might bias the results. This
makes it difficult for another researcher to replicate the study in exactly the same way.
Strengths and weaknesses of experimental method

Strengths
Experimental method is the most accurate method for study
. I t provides researchers with a high level ofcontrol.
.There is no limit to the subject matter or industry involved.
Experimental research provides conclusions that are specific.
I t can be combined with other research methods.

Weakness

Results are highly subjective due to the possibility of human error.

Experimental research can create situations that are not realistic.
. I t is a time-consuming process.
There may be ethical or practical problems with variable control.

References

Experimental psychology. Recovered from ecured.cu.

Experimental psychology. Retrieved from wikipedia.org.
Experimental psychology. Retrieved from wikipedia.org.
.Definition of experimental psychology. Recovered from definicion.de.
Definition, characteristics and objective of the experimental method. Retrieved from
psikipedia.com.
Ciccarelli, S. Kand Meyer, 6. E (2008) psychology
McLeod, S. A. (2012, January 14). Experimental method. Simply Psychology.
www.simplypsychology.org/experimental-method.html