Ch. 2 Flashcards
1
Q
Variable
A
- characteristic of a person place or thing that can change (vary) over time or from one situation to another
2
Q
Independent variable
A
- one that varies across different conditions in th experiment
3
Q
Dependent variable
A
- one that is measured
- allowed to vary naturally
4
Q
Quasi-independent variable
A
- variable that is inseperable from an individual and can’t be manipulated
- however, group comparisons can be made based on that variable
5
Q
Functional relationship
A
- the relationship between changes in an independent variable and a dependent variable
- ex. changes in environment connected to changes in behaviour
6
Q
Stimulus
A
- any event that can potentially influence behaviour
7
Q
Response
A
- behaviour especially when it occurs in reaction to a stimulus
8
Q
Overt behaviour
A
- can be observed by others
9
Q
Covert behaviour
A
- can only be perceived by the individual themselves
- ex. inner thoughts
10
Q
Appetitive stimulus
A
- an event that an organism will seek out
11
Q
Aversive stimulus
A
- an event that an organism will avoid
- ex. electric shock or extreme heat
12
Q
motivating operation
A
- any procedure that affects the appetitiveness or aversiveness of an event
13
Q
motivating operations
establishing operation
A
- procedure that increases the appetitiveness or aversiveness of an event
- ex. depriving an animal of food
14
Q
motivating operations
abolishing operation
A
- a procedure that decreases the appetitiveness or aversiveness of an event
- ex. feeding an animal until it isn’t hungry anymore
15
Q
Temporal contiguity
A
- the extent to which events occur close together in time
16
Q
Contingency
A
- a predictive (or functional) relationship between two events such that the occurence of one event predicts the probable occurence of another
- ex. if a rat gets a treat every time it presses a lever, there is a *contingency *between lever pressing and treats
16
Q
Spatial contiguity
A
- the extent to which events are situated close to each other in space
17
Q
what are 2 things that a behavioural definition needs to be? (i.e. the definition of the behaviour being studied)
A
- objective - refer to some observable aspect of behaviour
- unambiguous - clearly defined
18
Q
recording methods
rate of response
A
- number of responses that occur in a certain period of time
19
Q
recording materials
cumulative recorder
A
- classic device that measures the total number of responses over time and provides a graphic depiction of the rate of behaviour
- looks like a lie detector
20
Q
Intensity of behaviour
A
- force or magnitude of the behaviour
21
Q
Duration of behaviour
A
- the amount of time that an individual repeatedly or continuously performs a behaviour, with no concern for how fast or slow the behaviour is occurring
- ex. trying to decrease screen time/week
22
Q
Speed of behaviour
A
- the length of time required to perform a behaviour from start to finish, which indicates how fast or slow the behaviour is occurring
23
Q
Latency of behaviour
A
- length of time required for a behaviour to begin
24
Interval recording
- the measurement of whether a behaviour occurs during each interval within a series of continuous intervals
25
Time-sample recording
- the measurement of whether a behaviour occurs during each interval within a series of discontinous intervals (spaced out)
26
Topography of behaviour
- physical form of the behaviour
- ex. whether the rat uses its left or right paw to press the lever
27
Descriptive research
- gathering information about a behaviour and the circumstances in which it occurs
- doesn't involve manipulating variables
- doesn't give you the "why"
28
# descriptive research
Naturalistic observation
- one systematically (carefully defined variables in order to minimize biases) observes and records the occurrence of a behaviour in its natural environment
29
What is the main problem with naturalistic observation?
- leaves us uncertain about which variables affect the occurrence of the behaviour
- can't establish cause-and-effect relationships
30
Experimental research
- one or more independent variables are systematically varied to determine their effect on a dependent variable
31
# experimental research
Group designs
- researchers manipulate one or more independent variables across groups of subjects
32
# experimental research
control group design
- individuals randomly assigned to either an experimental (or treatment) group or a control group
- experimental group exposed to manipulation or treatment
33
# experimental research
factorial designs
- examines the effects of two or more independent variables (or factors) across groups of subjects
34
# experimental research
comparative design
- type of group design in which species is used as a quasi-independent variable
- compares traits between species
35
# experimental research
Single-subject designs
- require only a few subjects to conduct an entire experiment
36
single-comparison design
- behaviour in a baseline condition is compared to behaviour in a treatment condition
37
baseline of behaviour
- normal frequency of the behaviour that occurs before some type of intervention
38
What are the benefits to using animals for behavioural research?
1. ability to control genetic makeup (can be bred)
2. ability to control learning history (controls previous experiences)
3. able to more strictly control the experimental environment for animals than for humans (ex. isolation or food deprivation)
4. some research can't ethically be done on humans
