Methods of Psychology

Section 1
1.How is the experimental method of research used in psychology? What other factors need to be taken into consideration when developing a research study using this method? What are the strengths of this type of research? What are the limitations of this type of research?
2.Correlational Research is usually described as the descriptive method of research. What does this mean when you are conducting a study using this method? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this type of research?
3.Naturalistic research tends to be a non-experimental form of research. How is this research conducted? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this type of research?
4.The survey and case study research are the most commonly heard of research techniques. These two methods also fall under the descriptive research model. Describe both methods of research. How reliable and valid are the results from this form of research? What are the strengths of both methods and the weaknesses?
5.How do psychologists use the information from their studies to come to conclusions in their research?

Section 2
Ethics of experiments
During WWII, the Nazis performed experiments on prisoners in concentration camps. Their justification for performing these experiments was based on the need for knowledge about the human body and the reaction to bacteria, temperature variance, starvation, among other information. The information was recorded by the Nazi physicians who performed these experiments.
After reading “Where Do You Stand? The Morality of Immoral Experiments” on page 70 of the text, use your critical thinking skills and the reading this week on ethics to address the following: What is wrong with these experiments? What, if any, was the good that came from these experiments? Are we as a society being too cautious today with experiments that involve people? Where do you stand on these issues?