Question 1

What are the goals of scientific enquiry?

Accepted Answer

The goals of scientific enquiry are to describe, explain, predict, and control phenomena. Description involves observing and noting facts; explanation involves understanding the causes and reasons behind phenomena; prediction involves forecasting future occurrences based on current knowledge; and control involves influencing or regulating phenomena to achieve desired outcomes. — Scientific enquiry aims to systematically study phenomena by observing, explaining causes, predicting future events, and controlling variables to understand and manage the subject matter effectively.

Question 2

Describe the various steps involved in conducting a scientific enquiry.

Accepted Answer

The steps involved in conducting a scientific enquiry are:
1. Identifying the Problem: Recognizing and defining the problem or question to be studied.
2. Formulating a Hypothesis: Proposing a tentative explanation or prediction that can be tested.
3. Designing the Study: Planning how to collect data, including selecting methods and participants.
4. Collecting Data: Gathering information through observation, experimentation, or surveys.
5. Analyzing Data: Organizing and interpreting the data to find patterns or relationships.
6. Drawing Conclusions: Deciding whether the hypothesis is supported or not based on the data.
7. Reporting Results: Sharing findings with others through reports or presentations.
8. Replication: Repeating the study to verify results and ensure reliability. — Scientific enquiry follows a systematic process starting from problem identification to reporting results, ensuring objectivity and reliability in findings.

Question 3

Explain the nature of psychological data.

Accepted Answer

Psychological data refers to the information collected about human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It can be qualitative or quantitative and is often complex due to the subjective nature of psychological phenomena. The data is collected through various methods such as observation, experiments, surveys, and tests. It requires careful interpretation and analysis to understand underlying psychological processes. — Psychological data is unique because it deals with internal mental states and external behaviors, requiring diverse methods and careful analysis to draw meaningful conclusions.

Question 4

How do experimental and control groups differ? Explain with the help of an example.

Accepted Answer

Experimental and control groups are two essential components of an experiment. The experimental group is exposed to the independent variable or treatment, while the control group is not exposed to the treatment and serves as a baseline for comparison.

Example: Suppose a researcher wants to study the effect of a new teaching method on students' performance. The experimental group is taught using the new method, while the control group is taught using the traditional method. By comparing the performance of both groups, the researcher can determine the effect of the new teaching method. — The control group helps to isolate the effect of the independent variable by providing a comparison, ensuring that observed changes in the experimental group are due to the treatment and not other factors.

Question 5

A researcher is studying the relationship between speed of cycling and the presence of people. Formulate a relevant hypothesis and identify the independent and dependent variables.

Accepted Answer

Hypothesis: The speed of cycling decreases when more people are present.

Independent Variable: Presence of people (number of people present).
Dependent Variable: Speed of cycling. — The independent variable is what the researcher manipulates or observes as the cause (presence of people), and the dependent variable is the effect or outcome measured (speed of cycling). The hypothesis predicts a relationship between these variables.

Question 6

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of experimental method as a method of enquiry.

Accepted Answer

Strengths:
- Allows control over variables, enabling cause-effect relationships to be established.
- Provides objective and quantifiable data.
- Can be replicated to verify results.

Weaknesses:
- Artificial setting may not reflect real-life situations (low ecological validity).
- Ethical constraints may limit the types of experiments.
- Some variables cannot be manipulated due to practical or ethical reasons.
- Participant behavior may be influenced by awareness of being studied (Hawthorne effect). — The experimental method is powerful for establishing causality but may face challenges related to ethics, artificiality, and generalizability.

Question 7

Dr. Krishnan is going to observe and record children's play behaviour at a nursery school without attempting to influence or control the behaviour. Which method of research is involved? Explain the process and discuss its merits and demerits.

Accepted Answer

The method involved is Naturalistic Observation.

Process: The researcher observes subjects in their natural environment without interference or manipulation. The behaviour is recorded systematically to understand natural patterns.

Merits:
- Provides data on natural behaviour.
- Useful when manipulation is not possible or ethical.
- Helps generate hypotheses for further study.

Demerits:
- Lack of control over variables can lead to confounding factors.
- Observer bias may affect data recording.
- Difficult to replicate.
- Cannot establish cause-effect relationships. — Naturalistic observation allows studying behaviour as it occurs naturally but lacks experimental control, limiting causal inferences.

Question 8

Give two examples of the situations where survey method can be used. What are the limitations of this method?

Accepted Answer

Examples:
1. Studying the attitudes of students towards online learning.
2. Assessing the prevalence of smoking habits among teenagers.

Limitations:
- Responses may be biased due to social desirability.
- Sampling errors can affect representativeness.
- Limited depth of information compared to qualitative methods.
- Respondents may misunderstand questions leading to inaccurate data. — Surveys are useful for collecting data from large groups but may suffer from biases and limited depth, affecting validity and reliability.

Question 9

Differentiate between an interview and a questionnaire.

Accepted Answer

Interview:
- A face-to-face or telephonic conversation.
- Allows probing and clarification.
- Time-consuming and costly.

Questionnaire:
- A set of written questions.
- Respondents answer on their own.
- Less time-consuming and economical.

Difference lies in the mode of data collection, flexibility, and depth of information. — Interviews provide richer data through interaction but are resource-intensive; questionnaires are efficient but may lack depth.

Question 10

Explain the characteristics of a standardised test.

Accepted Answer

Characteristics of a standardised test include:
- Uniform procedures for administration and scoring.
- Established norms based on a representative sample.
- Reliability and validity are tested.
- Objective scoring to minimize bias.
- Allows comparison across individuals or groups. — Standardised tests ensure fairness and consistency in measurement, enabling meaningful comparisons.

Question 11

Describe the limitations of psychological enquiry.

Accepted Answer

Limitations of psychological enquiry include:
- Complexity of human behaviour makes it difficult to study.
- Subjectivity and bias in observation and interpretation.
- Ethical constraints limit certain types of research.
- Difficulty in controlling all variables in natural settings.
- Results may not be generalizable due to cultural and individual differences.
- Psychological phenomena are often not directly observable. — Psychological enquiry faces challenges due to the nature of its subject matter, ethical issues, and methodological constraints.

Question 12

What are the ethical guidelines that a psychologist needs to follow while conducting a psychological enquiry?

Accepted Answer

Ethical guidelines include:
- Informed Consent: Participants must be informed about the study and agree voluntarily.
- Confidentiality: Personal information must be kept confidential.
- Protection from Harm: Participants should not be exposed to physical or psychological harm.
- Right to Withdraw: Participants can withdraw at any time without penalty.
- Deception: Should be avoided unless absolutely necessary and must be justified.
- Debriefing: Participants should be informed about the study's purpose after participation.
- Integrity: Psychologists must report findings honestly and avoid fabrication or plagiarism. — Ethical guidelines protect participants' rights and wellbeing and ensure integrity in psychological research.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT one of the primary goals of psychological enquiry?

Accepted Answer

Memorization of psychological theories — The primary goals of psychological enquiry include description, prediction, explanation, control, and application of behaviour. Memorization of psychological theories is not a goal but rather a learning activity.

Question 14

In psychological research, what does the goal of 'prediction' involve?

Accepted Answer

Prediction involves forecasting the occurrence of a particular behaviour under certain conditions based on understanding relationships between behaviours. For example, predicting that a child who studies more will likely score higher marks in exams. — Prediction is the second goal of psychological enquiry where, after accurately describing behaviour, researchers forecast its occurrence by understanding its relationship with other behaviours or events. This helps in anticipating behaviour within a margin of error.

Question 15

Explain the difference between independent and dependent variables in an experiment, giving an example.

Accepted Answer

An independent variable is the factor that the researcher manipulates to observe its effect. The dependent variable is the behaviour or outcome affected by this manipulation. For example, in the smoke experiment, the presence of other persons was the independent variable, and the frequency of reporting smoke was the dependent variable. — Independent variables are those changed by the researcher to study their effect, while dependent variables are the outcomes measured. Both are interdependent and essential for establishing cause-effect relationships in experiments.

in Psychology

in Psychology — Study Notes

Introduction

Goals of Psychological Enquiry

Steps in Conducting Scientific Research

Practice Questions — in Psychology

All 8 Chapters in Introduction to Psychology