Observer Bias: Clever Horses and Dull Rats

In this video, I explain two well-known examples of observer bias: the case of Clever Hans, and Rosenthal and Fode’s experiment with “bright” and “dull” rats. Observer bias (or experimenter expectancy effect) is considered, along with an explanation for how to reduce this bias. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d … Read More

The Scientific Mindset: Skepticism and Humility

In this video I discuss the role of skepticism and humility in thinking about scientific research and evaluating claims. I also mention the supposed “crisis of confidence” in psychology, the problem with pseudosciences, and the role that data plays in assessing accuracy. Check out the James Randi Educational Foundation here: http://web.randi.org/ Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see … Read More

Difficulties of Psychological Research

In this video I discuss three difficulties of conducting psychology research: complexity, variability, and reactivity. I also explain demand characteristics, social desirability, and the Hawthorne Effect. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending me an email! … Read More

Types of Test Designs

In designing an intelligence assessment, I may want to know the level of difficulty that someone is capable of solving. In this case, I would probably look at whether a person is able to solve a particularly difficult puzzle or not. This would be considered a power test. In this context power refers to how well a measurement can differentiate … Read More

How Do Psychologists Define Variables?

  With any psychological question, what we are really trying to establish is better understanding of a property. We want to know about properties like happiness, depression, aggression, intelligence, etc. The problem with wanting to know about psychological properties is that they can be especially difficult to measure. In other sciences, it can often seem easy to determine how to … Read More

Research Methods – Resources

On this page you’ll find a number of resources for understanding the research methods used in psychology as well as some statistical methods for understanding and interpreting the data collected. General Resources Research Methods Key Terms List Research Methods Pinterest Board OpenStax Research Methods Chapter Master Introductory Psychology Volume 1 (Amazon link) General Video Resources Specific Concepts Confirmation Bias Wikipedia … Read More

What is Statistical Significance?

Statistical significance is an important concept for understanding when conclusions can (or can not) be drawn from psychological research. Significance can be calculated in a number of different ways depending on the type of data we have collected, and calculations are based on the number of participants in our sample, as well as the effect size, or how large the … Read More

Key Terms for Research Methods

Download a free pdf of this key terms list here: Research-Methods-Key-Terms Find explanations and examples of all of these key terms and more here: Master Introductory Psychology: Complete Edition         demand characteristics social desirability   Hawthorne Effect   skepticism   Robert Rosenthal and Kermit Fode   observer bias   double-blind study   property   measure   operational definition … Read More

Psych File Drawer

If you’ve ever wondered just how well some famous effects have replicated, I encourage you to check out http://www.psychfiledrawer.org/. This site lists a number of influential studies (such as Bargh, Chen, and Burrows’ priming study on age-related stereotype activation) with links to successful and unsuccessful replications, as well as conceptual replications. This is great for getting into the nuances of … Read More

Publication Bias in Medicine

Ben Goldacre’s impassioned plea for greater transparency in medical research publishing. When only “successful” results are able to get published, we can be misled about how effective or how safe treatments are.