#AP Psychology: Research Methods - The Night Before 🌃

Hey! Let's get you feeling super confident about research methods. This is your final sprint, so let's make every minute count! We'll break down the key concepts, connect the dots, and get you ready to ace those questions. Let's do this! 💪

#Choosing Your Method: What's the Goal?

Before diving into research, always ask: What am I trying to find out? Your research question dictates your method. It's like picking the right tool for the job! 🧰

• Correlation: Just want to see if two things are related? An experiment isn't your best bet. Think surveys or observational studies.
• Causation: Need to prove that one thing causes another? Then, an experiment is the way to go!

#Validity: Are Your Results for Real?

Validity is all about how trustworthy your results are. There are two key types:

#External Validity

• Definition: How well can your findings be generalized to the real world? Can you apply the result to other people, places, and situations?
• Example: If a drug study only uses middle-aged men, can we apply the results to women or teenagers? Probably not! 🙅‍♀️

#Internal Validity

• Definition: How sure are you that your independent variable actually caused the change in your dependent variable?
• Confounding Variables: These are the enemies of internal validity! They're sneaky variables that mess with your results. 😈

#Confounding Variables

• Definition: An outside factor that influences both the independent and dependent variables, making it hard to know what's really causing the effect.

• Example: The classic ice cream and crime example! 🍦⛓️

  • It looks like ice cream sales and crime rates are related, but that's because they both increase in the summer. The confounding variable is the weather. ☀️

  • Another example: Coffee and pancreatic cancer. Smoking is a confounding variable here.

  

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#Research Methods: A Quick Rundown

Here’s a table summarizing the core research methods. Let's make sure you know the ins and outs of each one:

| Research Method | Basic Purpose ...