(2) Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research Flashcards
Objective Measurements
The measure of an entity or behaviour allowed a margin of error, consistent across instruments and observers
Variable
The object, concept, or event being controlled, manipulated, or measured by a scientist
Operational Definitions
Are statements that describe the procedures (or operations) and specific measures used to record observations
Validity
The degree to which an instrument or procedure measures what it claims to measure
Reliability
Consistent and stable answers across multiple observations and points in time
Generalizability
the degree to which one set of results can be applied to other situations, individuals, or events
Population
The group that researchers want to generalize about
Sample:
A select group of population members
Random Sample
A sampling technique in which every individual of a population has an equal chance of being included
Convenience Samples
Samples of individuals who are the most readily available
Ecological Validity
the results of a laboratory study can be applied to or repeated in the natural environment
Hawthorne Effect
Behaviour change that occurs as a result of being observed
Social Desirability
Research participants respond in ways that increase chances that they will be viewed favourably by the experimenter and/or other participants
Placebo Effect
A measurable and experienced improvement in health or behaviour that cannot be attributable to a medication or treatment
Demand Characteristics:
Inadvertent cues given off by the experimenter or the experimental context that provide information about how participants are expected to behave
Single-blind Study
Participants do not know the true purpose of the study, or else do not know which type of treatment they are receiving (ex placebo or a drug)
Double-blind study
A study in which neither the participant nor the experimenter knows the exact treatment for any individual
Peer review
A process in which papers submitted for publication in scholarly journals are read and critiqued by experts in the specific field of study
Replication
The process of repeating a study and finding a similar outcome each time
Anecdotal Evidence
An individual’s story or testimony about an observation or event that is used to make a claim as evidence
Appeal to authority
The belief in an “experts” claim even when no supporting data or scientific evidence is present
Appeal to common sense
A claim that appears to be sound but lacks supporting scientific evidence
Research Design
A set of methods that allows a hypothesis to be tested
Qualitative Research
examining an issue or behaviour without performing numerical measurements of the variables
Case Studies
An in-depth report about the details of a specific case
Naturalistic Observations
They unobtrusively observe and record behaviour and it occurs in the subjects natural environment
Self-reporting
A method of responses provided directly by the people who are being studied, typically through face-to-face interviews, phone surveys, paper-and-pencil tests, and web-based questionnaires
Correlational Research
measuring the degree of association between two or more variables
Third Variable Problem
the possibility that a third, unmeasured variable is responsible for a well established correlation between two variables
Illusory Correlations
relationships that exist only in the mind, rather than in reality
Random Assignment:
A technique for dividing samples into two or more groups in which participants are equally likely to be placed in any condition of the experiment
Confounding Variable
A variable outside of the researchers control that might affect or provide an alternative explanation for the results
Independent Variable
the variable that the experimenter manipulates to distinguish between two or more groups
Dependent Variable
the observation or measurement that is recorded during the experiment and subsequently compared across all groups
Between-subjects design
an experimental design in which we compare the performance of participants who are in different groups
Experimental group
the group in the experiment that receives a treatment or the stimuli targeting a specific behaviour
Control group
the group that does not receive the treatment or stimuli targeting a specific behaviour; this group therefore serves as a baseline to which the experimental group is compared
Within-subjects designs
An experimental design in which the same participants respond to all types of stimuli or experience all experimental conditions
Quasi-experimental research
a research technique in which the two or more groups that are compared are selected based on predetermined characteristics
Research Ethics Board (REB)
a committee of researchers and officials at an institution charged with the protection of human research participants
Informed Consent
a potential volunteer must be informed (know the purpose, tasks, and risk involved in the study) and give consent (agree to participate based on the information provided) without pressure
Deception
misleading or only partially informing participants of the true topic or hypothesis under investigation
Debriefing
meaning that the researchers should explain the true nature of the study, and especially the nature of and reason for any deception
Descriptive statistics
a set of techniques used to organize, summarize, and interpret data
Frequency
the number of observations that fall within a certain category or range of scores
Normal Distribution
a symmetrical distribution with values clustered around a central, mean value (bell curve)
Skewed Distribution
an asymmetrical distribution with a large cluster of scores on one side and a long “tail” on the other
Central Tendency
a measure of the central point of a distribution
Mean
the arithmetic average of a set of numbers
Median
the 50th percentile – the point on the horizontal axis at which 50% of all observations are lower, and 50% of all observations are higher
Mode
which is the category with the highest frequency
Variability
the degree to which scores are dispersed in a distribution
Standard Deviation
a measure of variability around the mean
Hypothesis test
a statistical method of evaluation whether differences among groups are meaningful (concept known as a statistically significant difference)
Statistical significance
the means of the groups are father apart that you would expect them to be by random chance alone
Null Hypothesis
assumes that any difference between groups (or conditions) are due to chance
Experimental Hypothesis
assumes that any differences are due to a variable controlled by the experimenter
