AP Psychology Chapter 1 Research Methods Flashcards
researching with factual information in order to arrive at a valid conclusion.
critical thinking
an educated guess concerning a specific and testable problem or question
Hypothesis
a clear statement expression how the research will be measured.
operational definition
any factor that may influence an outcome
variables
an explanation of the recorded data used to explain a phenomenon.
theory
Watching participants in their natural environment without interference from the researcher.
Naturalistic Observation
An in-depth examination of a rare phenomenon that occurred with an individual, small group, or situation.
Case Study
The administration of questionnaires or interviews; used to identify attitudes, beliefs, and opinions.
Surveys
Examining the relationship between two or more variables.
Correlational Study
Attempt to prove causation by allowing the researcher to manipulate one or more variables and measure their outcome.
Experiments
the variable that is manipulated or controlled by the experimenter.
independent variable
the measurable outcome or resulting effect of the manipulated variable.
dependent variable
variables that cannot be controlled by the researcher but may interfere with the independent variable and influence the results.
confounding variable
the group that receives the treatment.
control group
subjects who act or answer in a way they believe the experimenter wishes.
participant bias
the experimenter’s actions which may influence the outcome of the experiment
experimenter bias/expectancy
an experiment design in which neither the experimenter nor the subjects know who is in the experimental and control groups
double-blind design
selecting participants from the population that closely matches the population being studied.
representative sample
categorizing the desired target population and selecting participants that best represent a particular category of interest
stratified sample
selects individuals from different cohorts (groups) within the population and compares the results of each age group.
cross sectional sample
a study that examines/studies the same group of individuals over an extended period of time.
longitudinal study
selecting participants from a population that the experimenter wishes to study
sampling
selecting participants in a manner that ensures that each member of the pollution has the same possibility of being selected.
random sampling
selecting participants in a manner that does not allow for all potential subjects to have an equal chance of being selected.
sampling bias
allowing all participants that same opportunity of being placed in a participation group.
random assignment
data that are used to numerically summarize or describe the results for the targeted population.
descriptive statistics
gathering data and arranging the information to indicate how often a score occurs.
frequency distribution
the average numerical value of all presented data
Mean
the numerical value that appears in the middle of al presented data.
Median
the numerical value that appears most often in the presented data.
Mode
a bell shaped curve that graphically represents the occurrence of all the scores in a given set of data.
Normal Curve
data that is arranged in a manner resembles a normal curve.
Normal Distribution
the variability between scores and how far each diverges from the average/mean.
Standard Deviation
the numerical relationship between two or more variables or factors.
Correlation
a numerical value demonstrating the strength of the relationship between two or more variables or factors.
Correlation Coefficient
one variable or factor increases and the other decreases
negative correlation
an incorrect belief that supposes one variable affected the outcome, when it does not have a true impact on the other variable
illusionary correlation
allow the researcher to apply his or her results to the general population and infer whether the data can be generalized to the population at large.
Inferential Statistics
the resulting correlation is not likely due to chance.
statistically significant
participants have agreed to be part of the experiment and are aware of what may take place during the course of the study, as long as it does not influence the experiment.
consent
upon completion of the experiment subjects are allowed to know what the researchers were hoping to accomplish and if there was any deception used in the study, and allowed to view the results after the experiment is finalized.
debriefed
a research method that examines how variables are naturally related in the real world, without any attempt by the researcher to alter them or assign causation between them
correlational studies
based on skepticism, predicts there will not be a significant change as a result of the independent.
null hypothesis
Variables need to be written in such a way that it is clear what is being measured
operationalized
A change in a subject’s behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied
Hawthorne effect
the extent to which we can claim our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied
Generalizability
Rejecting null hypothesis when it is true
Type I error
failing to reject a false null hypothesis
Type II error
The difference between the highest and lowest values within a distribution.
Range
both variables or factors move in the same direction.
Positive Correlation
