Chapter 2: Research Methods

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Chapter 2Research Methods

• Basic Terms
• Measurement of Behavior
• Research Designs
• Animal Use

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Basic Terms

• Variable
• A characteristic that can change (vary) over time
  or from one situation to another
• Independent variable
• a characteristic whose values are independent of
  changes in the values of other variables
• Dependent variable
• Characteristic that is dependent upon changes in
  the IV

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Basic Terms

• Operational definition
• An exact description of an event or behavior that
  would otherwise be ambiguous

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Measurement of Behavior

• Rate of response

Cumulative Recorder
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Measurement of Behavior

• Intensity
• Duration
• Speed

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Measurement of Behavior

• Latency
• Interval recording
• Time sample recording
• Topography
• Number of errors

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Basic Terms

• Stimulus (S)
• Any event that can produce a behavior
• Response (R)
• A behavior elicited by a stimulus

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Basic Terms

• Overt Behavior
• Behavior that can be observed by another
  individual
• Covert Behavior
• Behavior that is subjective (can be observed only
  by person performing behavior)

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Basic Terms

• Appetitive Stimuli
• Stimuli that an individual will seek out
• Aversive Stimuli
• Stimuli that an individual will avoid

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Basic Terms

• Deprivation
• Prolonged absence of an event, which tends to
  increase the events appeal
• Satiation
• Prolonged exposure to an event, which tends to
  decreases the appeal of that event

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Basic Terms

• Contiguity
• Temporal continuity closeness of two events in
  time
• Spatial continuity closeness of two events in
  space
• Contingency
• A predicted relationship between two events

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Research Design
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• Descriptive Research
• Recording detailed observations about a behavior,
  and the situation that it occurs in
• Naturalistic Observation
• Recording of behavior in its natural environment
• Case Studies
• Intensive examination of one or
• a few individuals

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Research Design

• Experimental Research
• One or more independent variables manipulated in
  order to show a cause-and-effect relationship
  between the variable and the behavior of interest
• Control Group Designs
• Experiment in which subjects are randomly
  assigned to a control group or an experimental
  group

Group 1 Food
Group 2 No food
Experimental Design
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Research Design

• Experimental Research
• Control Group Designs
• Advantages
• Good for showing cause-and-effect relationships
• Disadvantages
• Requires a large number of subjects
• Data sometimes analyzed only at end of experiment
• Ignores individual results (which might be
  important)

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Six experimental conditions (groups of subjects)
in a 2 3 factorial experiment involving two
levels of a food variable and three levels of
an age variable.
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Research Design

• Experimental Research
• Single-Subject Designs

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Simple Comparison (AB) Design
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Reversal (ABAB) Design
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Two-Treatment Reversal (ABCAC) Design
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Problem Reversal (ABAB) Design
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Multiple Baseline Design
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Changing Criterion Design
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Use of Animals in Behavioral Research

• Arguments For
• Genetic and learning history can be controlled
• Experimental conditions can be more strictly
  controlled
• Some research cannot be ethically conducted in
  humans
• Arguments Against
• Animals subjects not human, so results may not be
  applicable to humans
• Unethical for animals too

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Research Ethics

• Federal guidelines The Common Rule
• Professional societies recommendations (APA,
  Society for Neuroscience)
• Institutional review boards
• IACUC
• Journals

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Animal Ethical Guidelines

• Clear purpose and necessity
• Excellent housing, food and health care
• Minimal pain and suffering