Experiments In Psychology

Psychology's most famous theories--played out in real life! Forget the labs and lecture halls. You can conduct your very own psych experiments at home! Famous psychological experiments--from Freud's ego to the Skinner box--have changed the way science views human behavior. But how do these tests really work? In Psych Experiments, you'll learn how to test out these theories and experiments for yourself...no psychology degree required! Guided by Michael A. Britt, creator of popular podcast The Psych Files, you can conduct your own experiments when browsing your favorite websites (to test the "curiosity effect"), in restaurants (learning how to increase your tips), when presented with advertisements (you'd be surprised how much you're influenced by the color red), and even right on your smartphone (and why you panic when you can't find it). You'll even figure out how contagious yawning works! With this compulsively readable little book, you won't just read about the history of psychology--you'll live it!

The typical survey course in psychology has time for only limited presentation of the research on which our knowledge is based. As a result, many students come away with a limited understanding of the role of experiments in psychological science. Where do experiments come from and how are they conducted? What are the pitfalls and how can we avoid them? What advantages do they have over intuition, authority, and common sense as guides to knowing and acting? What distinguishes research-based psychology from psychobabble? What have we learned from experimentation in psychology? This book presents, in more depth than textbook treatment permits, the background, conduct, and implications of a selection of classic experiments in psychology. The selection is designed to be diverse, showing that even for research in vastly different areas of study, the logic of research remains the same—as do its traps and pitfalls. This book will broaden and deepen the understanding of experimental methods in psychological research, examining where the research questions come from, how questions can be turned into experiments, and how researchers have faced the problems presented by research in psychology.

Psychology acts as a link between the social and biological sciences. As a social science its subject-matter is of the utmost importance in understanding human actions in society, their behavior as individuals, as members of various groups. A knowledge of psychology however necessitates a knowledge of the tools of biological sciences as its methodology has been modeled after the biological sciences. Hence a training in laboratory methods is essential for students of psychology. This book combines the salient features of the methodology of experiments in psychology, the concepts of general experiments in psychology, and the advantage of a laboratory manual. It aims at developing in the students the understanding and skill to pose a problem, and to plan and conduct an experiment to answer it. Complete reports of a number of experiments have been given which, though based on hypothetical data, will enable students to realize that every step has a rationale behind it. Accounts of related problems and, in several cases, description of the ways to answer them, supplement the detailed reports. Aware of the importance of group experiments in the world of today, the author has included experiments highlighting some special features of group experiments like selections of sample, design of group experiments and treatment of group data. The author has also taken care to avoid use of costly apparatus to carry out the experiments worked out in the book, depending largely on locally improvised materials. This is an invaluable book for students and teachers of psychology, especially for those in Indian universities.

Primarily intended for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of psychology, this book will help understand the methodology of experiments and the basic concepts of experimental psychology. Since the experiments are described in detail with the help of purely hypothetical data, the readers will easily understand the procedure and the steps involved in each experiment. Complete reports of more than fifty experiments will certainly help understand the significance of each step in an experiment. The detailed description of experiments will also help in conceptualising relevant problems and designing appropriate experiments. Another feature is that, more than half of the experiments described in the book do not require sophisticated apparatus. Key Features • Sample data are provided in each experiment. • Theoretical background of experiments is sufficient and clear. • Sample data are analysed with the help of statistical techniques. • Language is lucid and easy to comprehend. • Experiments on most of the topics have been covered.

Until recently, most psychological research was conducted using subject samples in close proximity to the investigators--namely university undergraduates. In recent years, however, it has become possible to test people from all over the world by placing experiments on the internet. The number of people using the internet for this purpose is likely to become the main venue for subject pools in coming years. As such, learning about experiments on the internet will be of vital interest to all research psychologists. Psychological Experiments on the Internet is divided into three sections. Section I discusses the history of web experimentation, as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and validity of web-based psychological research. Section II discusses examples of web-based experiments on individual differences and cross-cultural studies. Section III provides readers with the necessary information and techniques for utilizing the internet in their own research designs. Innovative topic that will capture the imagination of many readers Includes examples of actual web based experiments

Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies is brought together by some of the world's leading voices in this rich and historically significant sub-field of psychology. Since the end of the second world war, numerous studies have entered the canon of what we now understand to be 'classical', from Milgram's 'shocking' obedience study, to Latané and Darley's bystander intervention studies to Zimbardo's now famous, controversial Stanford Prison experiment. This title provides a telescopic lens back to the past when investigations first began, then to the present day when new light is shining on these key pieces of research, to present a contemporary assessment of all aspects of social behavior.

Even if you have no background in experimentation, this clear, straightforward book can help you design, execute, interpret, and report simple experiments in psychology. David W. Martin's unique blend of informality, humor, and solid scholarship have made this concise book a popular choice for methods courses in psychology. Doing Psychology Experiments guides you through the experimentation process in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step manner. Decision-making aspects of research are emphasized, and the logic behind research procedures is fully explained.

This book showcases 28 intriguing social psychological experiments that have significantly advanced our understanding of human social thinking and behavior. Each chapter focuses on the details and implications of a single study, while citing related research and real-life examples along the way. All the chapters are fully self-contained, allowing them to be read in any order without loss of coherence. This 2nd Edition contains a number of new studies and, together with its lively, conversational tone, it makes an ideal text for courses in social psychology, introductory psychology, or research design.