Introduction to Psychology

Methods: Experiments,
Surveys and correlations

Prof. Jan Lauwereyns

jan@sls.kyushu-u.ac.jp
• Research Question: Will participants be more
altruistic if they see a video depicting human
suffering?
• Research Question: Will participants be more altruistic
if they see a video depicting human suffering?
• Method:
$3.64
Research Amount
Participants Video Donated

IV: Video of starving children in Africa.

DV: Amount of money donated by subjects to UNICEF.
• Research Question: Will participants be more altruistic
if they see a video depicting human suffering?
• Method:
$3.64
Research Amount
Participants Video Donated

IV: Video of starving children in Africa.

DV: Amount of money donated by subjects to UNICEF.

PROBLEM: Is $3.64 high, low, or medium?

 Would it help to add a pretest?
One group pretest/post-test design

Research Pretest Post-test

Video
Participants ($ donated) ($ donated)

$2.85 $3.64
• Allows us to statistically compare pre and post scores
• If donation goes from low to high than we may conclude
that our experiment worked
• There are some potential problems with this design
 Testing

Taking the pretest may change

the participant’s responses on
the post-test.

How to Avoid
• Determine whether a pretest is necessary
• Disguise your pretest
Some problems are hard to avoid,
but can be taken into account:

Comparing an experimental
condition against a control
condition
But watch out for those confounding factors…

Experimental group:
Psychology $4.82
Research Video Amount
Participants Donated

Control group:
Marketing $2.45
Research Control Amount
Participants Group Donated
(neutral video)
A new problem
Selection

Participants who form the two

groups in the experiment are
chosen from existing natural
groups

How to Avoid
• Randomly assign participants to conditions
• If not possible, try to get equivalent groups
 Anatomy of a Good Experiment:
Effects of Video on Altruism
Representative Sample

Random Assignment

Experimental Group Control Group

Persuasive video Neutral video

Behavior ($ donated) Behavior ($ donated)

Operational Definition of Altruism= $ donated to UNICEF

Experimental Control

20 20
10 10
1 10
15 5
20 10
100 5
80 15
20 20
20 10
10 5

29.60 11.00
Average
32.77 5.68 Standard deviation
Not significant
Experimental Control Experimental Control

20 20 20 20
10 10 20 10
1 10 11 10
15 5 +10 25 5
20 10 20 10
100 5 60 -40 5
80 15 80 15
20 20 20 20
20 10 20 10
10 5 20 5

29.60 11.00 29.60 11.00

32.77 5.68 22.07 5.68
Experimental Control Experimental Control

20 20 20 20
10 10 20 10
1 10 11 10
15 5 +10 25 5
20 10 20 10
100 5 60 -40 5
80 15 80 15
20 20 20 20
20 10 20 10
10 5 20 5

29.60 11.00 29.60 11.00

32.77 5.68 22.07 5.68
Experimental Control Experimental Control

20 20 20 20
10 10 20 10
1 10 11 10
15 5 +10 25 5
20 10 20 10
100 5 60 -40 5
80 15 80 15
20 20 20 20
20 10 20 10
10 5 20 5

29.60 11.00 29.60 11.00

32.77 5.68 22.07 5.68

Smaller standard deviation

Significant
Not significant
Size Weight
176 81
163 57
159 52
189 84
172 89
191 81
167 67
182 78
171 60
163 66
173.3 71.5
11.08603 12.7301
Size Weight
176 81
163 57
159 52
189 84
172 89
191 81
167 67
182 78
171 60
163 66
173.3 71.5
11.08603 12.7301
Positive correlation:

More of one thing,

corresponds with more of another thing
 More speed,
more accidents

Positive correlation:

More of one thing,

corresponds with more of another thing
Negative correlation:

More of one thing,

corresponds with less of another thing
 More training,
less accidents

Negative correlation:

More of one thing,

corresponds with less of another thing
No correlation:

More of one thing,

does not correspond with more or less
of another thing
e.g., Survey about driving behavior

Ask about…
-age, experience
-how often drive, what kind of car…
-where, how fast…
-past accidents, traffic violations…

Try to establish correlations

e.g., Survey about driving behavior

Ask about…
-age, experience
-how often drive, what kind of car…
-where, how fast…
-past accidents, traffic violations…

Try to establish correlations

[ Can be inspiration for new experiments ]