Individual Article Review #1 Let's practice identifying the degree to which psychological research may focus on different goals. Research can vary along a continuum from basic research to applied research (see pages 11-13 of your text). Additionally, research may pursue different goals (see pages 8-11). Let's also try out identifying conceptual variables and variables that have been given an operational definition (see pages 63-67). For example, a conceptual variable might be "happiness," whereas one operational definition of happiness might be the sum score on a happiness self-report scale. 1. Where would you place the research of Loftus and Palmer (1974) on the continuum from basic to applied? Most importantly, justify your placement. · Very basic · Somewhat basic · Somewhat applied · Very applied I believe the research of Loftus and Palmer (1974) is a basic research. The purpose of this research was to understand the human behavior and lacked ideas and suggestions to solve issues that could be applied in the real world right away. This goes against the definition of what an applied research is: " a research used to answer a specific question that has direct applications to the world." 1. Which of the four scientific goals does this research seek to address? Talk about each of the four goals and justify why the research does or does not seek to address the four scientific goals of research in psychology? Make sure to justify each of your assessments and take care that you are using the terminology carefully. Describing behaviour: This research addresses the behavior as the primary goal of the study is to make observations on the participants who remember the situation (of the video shown) differently based on different verbs used on the questionnaires (hit, contacted, collided, smashed). Predicting behaviour: This research addresses the prediction by conducting a second experiment after a week later from the results of the first experiment. In the second experiment, subjects were asked if there was any glasses broken in the accident. Loftus and Palmer predicted if the subjects was questioned with "smashed," it is most likely for him to answer the question "yes." Determining causes: this research addresses the determining cause of a certain behavior. Loftus and Palmer use covariation of cause and effect to prove if they hypothesis of whether certain wording (in this case, verbs such as "smashed") of a question affects both memory and response. Explaining behaviour:
1. Point out one conceptual variable that the researcher manipulated as well as at least one way they created an operational definition for this variable. In this research, a conceptual variable was the subject's concept of the speed of the car based on the particular wording of the question they were asked. The operational definition was created by manipulating the independent variable, which in this research was the wording of the question, in ways that the subject's perception of the speed would be modified.