Experimental Psychology

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Kantowitz, Roediger, and Elmes, all prominent researchers, take an example-based approach to the fundamentals of research methodology. Their text is organized by topic--such as research in human factors, learning, thinking, and problem solving--a unique feature that helps students connect the concepts of sound methodology with their practical applications. Because the authors employ dozens of carefully selected real-world examples, students can see for themselves the issues and problems that can occur in conducting research. More importantly, they can develop a sense of how to anticipate and adjust for problems in their own research. Key Feature This text is organized by topics, rather than methods. The only undergraduate experimental psychology text on the market organized by content/research area, this book helps students connect the concepts of sound methodology with their practical applications. The foundational chapters in Part I introduce readers to theory construction, observational and experimental research techniques, ethical issues, and reading and writing research reports. Each of the 10 chapters in Part II is devoted to a specific content area (for example, psychophysics, perception, and conditioning and learning). In these chapters, the authors discuss and clarify research methods in the context of actual research methods conducted in these specific content areas. "Experimental Topics and Research Illustrations" features constitute the main part of the chapter. Here, two or three methodology issues are presented in the context of an actual research problem. For example, in Chapter 10, the authors discuss the difficulty of ceiling and floor effects in the context of the actual memory experiment where this difficulty occurred. "From Problem to Experiment: The Nuts and Bolts" features present the rationale behind experimental design decisions--how many subjects should be used, why variable x is selected instead of variable y, and so on--when hypotheses are taken from a general form to the specifics of an experiment. "Psychology in Action" features suggest safe and simple experimental demonstrations that require little or no equipment and that can be used in or out of class--giving students a perfect chance to apply what they’ve studied. For example, Chapter 7 includes a demonstration of the Stroop effect, and Chapter 14 presents methods tomeasure one’s "personal territory" or "space bubble." New to this Edition A thorough update on a classic text, this edition reflects the latest APA style guidelines. The authors have updated the studies and research throughout the book, adding current references and more interesting examples on topics like interaction effects in cognitive control, visual acuity, and the use of models to explain mental workload. This edition includes more integrated genetics and cognitive neuroscience coverage. Table of Contents Part One: FUNDAMENTALS OF RESEARCH. 1. Explanation in Scientific Psychology. 2. Research Techniques: Observation and Correlation. 3. Research Techniques: Experiments. 4. Ethics in Psychological Research. 5. How to Read and Write Research Reports. Part Two: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY. 6. Psychophysics. 7. Perception. 8. Attention and Reaction Time. 9. Conditioning and Learning. 10. Remembering and Forgetting. 11. Thinking and Problem Solving. 12. Individual Differences and Development. 13. Social Psychology. 14. Environmental Psychology. 15. Human Factors. Appendix A: Experimental Psychology: A Historical Sketch. Appendix B: Statistical Reasoning: An Introduction. Appendix C: Statistical Tables.