Ch 1: Psych is a Way of Thinking

Question 1

applied research

Answer 1

research whose goal is to find a solution to a particular real-world problem

Question 2

basic research

Answer 2

research whose goal is to enhance the general body of knowledge, without regard for direct application to practical problems

Question 3

data

Answer 3

a set of observations representing the values of some variable, collected from one or more research studies

Question 4

empiricism

Answer 4

using verifiable evidence as the basis for conclusions; collecting data and using it to develop, support, or challenge a theory

Question 5

falsifiable

Answer 5

a quality of a theory that applies when it is possible to collect data that will prove the theory wrong (essentially, falsifiable means fallible)

Question 6

hypothesis

Answer 6

a statement of the specific relationship between a study’s variables that the researcher expects to observe if a theory is accurate aka a prediction

Question 7

journal

Answer 7

a monthly or quarterly periodical containing peer-reviewed articles on a specific academic discipline or subdiscipline, written for a scholarly audience

Question 8

journalism

Answer 8

news and commentary published or broadcast in the popular media and produced for a general audience

Question 9

parsimony

Answer 9

the degree to which a theory provides the simplest explanation of some phenomenon

Question 10

theory

Answer 10

a statement or set of statements that describes general principles about how variables relate to one another

Question 11

translational research

Answer 11

studies that use knowledge derived from basic research to develop and test solutions to real-world problems

Question 12

weight of the evidence

Answer 12

a conclusion drawn from reviewing scientific literature and considering the proportion of studies that is consistent with a theory