Ch. 2 Key Terms

Question 1

observation

Answer 1

observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information

Question 2

hypothesis

Answer 2

proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Question 3

prediction

Answer 3

the prediction of future behavior

Question 4

experiment

Answer 4

scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

Question 5

variable

Answer 5

not consistent or having a fixed pattern

Question 6

experimental group

Answer 6

the group of participants who are exposed to the independent variable

Question 7

control group

Answer 7

standard to which comparisons are made in an experiment

Question 8

data

Answer 8

facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Question 9

correlation

Answer 9

mutual relationship or connection between two or more things

Question 10

statistics

Answer 10

collecting and analyzing numerical data in large quantities

Question 11

mean

Answer 11

intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion)

Question 12

distribution

Answer 12

the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients

Question 13

probability

Answer 13

the extent to which something is probable

Question 14

sample

Answer 14

small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like

Question 15

risk

Answer 15

situation involving exposure to danger

Question 16

model

Answer 16

an informative representation of an object, person or system

Question 17

conceptual model

Answer 17

abstract, psychological representations of how tasks should be carried out.

Question 18

mathematical model

Answer 18

an abstract model that uses mathematical language to describe the behavior of a system

Question 19

value

Answer 19

the importance, worth, or usefulness of something

Question 20

decision-making model

Answer 20

the action or process of making decisions, especially important ones