Ch 2: Psychological Research

Question 1

archival research

Answer 1

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

Question 2

attrition

Answer 2

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

Question 3

cause-and-effect relationship

Answer 3

changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design

Question 4

clinical or case study

Answer 4

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

Question 5

confirmation bias

Answer 5

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

Question 6

confounding variable

Answer 6

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

Question 7

control group

Answer 7

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups

Question 8

correlation

Answer 8

relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does

Question 9

correlation coefficient

Answer 9

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r

Question 10

cross-sectional research

Answer 10

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

Question 11

debriefing

Answer 11

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion

Question 12

deception

Answer 12

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment

Question 13

deductive reasoning

Answer 13

results are predicted based on a general premise

Question 14

dependent variable

Answer 14

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had

Question 15

double-blind study

Answer 15

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

Question 16

empirical

Answer 16

grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing

Question 17

experimental group

Answer 17

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance

Question 18

experimenter bias

Answer 18

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

Question 19

fact

Answer 19

objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research

Question 20

falsifiable

Answer 20

able to be disproven by experimental results

Question 21

generalize

Answer 21

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

Question 22

hypothesis

Answer 22

(plural: hypotheses) a testable prediction about how the world will behave if an idea is correct, often worded as an if-then statement

Question 23

illusory correlation

Answer 23

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

Question 24

independent variable

Answer 24

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group

Question 25

inductive reasoning

Answer 25

conclusions are drawn from observations

Question 26

informed consent

Answer 26

process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate

Question 27

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Answer 27

committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals

Question 28

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Answer 28

committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants

Question 29

inter-rater reliability

Answer 29

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event

Question 30

longitudinal research

Answer 30

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

Question 31

naturalistic observation

Answer 31

observation of behavior in its natural setting

Question 32

negative correlation

Answer 32

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a negative correlation is not the same thing as no correlation

Question 33

observer bias

Answer 33

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

Question 34

operational definition

Answer 34

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

Question 35

opinion

Answer 35

personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate

Question 36

participants

Answer 36

subjects of psychological research

Question 38

peer-reviewed journal article

Answer 38

article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication

Question 39

placebo effect

Answer 39

people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation

Question 40

population

Answer 40

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

Question 41

positive correlation

Answer 41

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

Question 42

random assignment

Answer 42

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group

Question 43

random sample

Answer 43

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 44

reliability

Answer 44

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

Question 45

replicate

Answer 45

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability

Question 46

sample

Answer 46

subset of individuals selected from the larger population

Question 47

single-blind study

Answer 47

experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group

Question 48

statistical analysis

Answer 48

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

Question 49

survey

Answer 49

list of questions to be answered by research participants—given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally—allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people

Question 50

theory

Answer 50

well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

Question 51

validity

Answer 51

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure