ch 2 - research methods

Question 1

theory

Answer 1

• an explanation of how facts are connected and how they can help us understand or predict things that happen.

Question 2

hypothesis

Answer 2

• A proposed explanation for a situation, usually taking the form “If A happens, then B will be the result”

Question 3

construct

Answer 3

• an internal attribute that can’t be directly observed but is useful for describing and explaining behaviour
• ex: anxiety, intelligence, extraversion, etc.

Question 4

operational definiton

Answer 4

• a way of defining and measuring a construct

Question 5

independent variable

Answer 5

• variable manipulated by experimenter

Question 6

dependent variable

Answer 6

• demonstrates the effects of the independent variable

Question 7

descriptive methods/research

Answer 7

• make careful, systematic observations
• can include case studies, naturalistic observations, surveys, focus groups, interviews
• describing what’s going on with a certain group or phenomenon without trying to change or manipulate anything

Question 8

case study

Answer 8

• An in-depth analysis of the behaviour of one person or a small number of people

Question 9

correlational study

Answer 9

• A measure of the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables
• Permit us to discuss the relationships between two variables
• don’t allow causal claims

Question 10

directionality problem

Answer 10

• relates to correlational studies
• when you know two things are correlated but you’re not sure which one causes the other

Question 11

third-variable problem

Answer 11

• when two things seem correlated but there’s a hidden third variable that causes both of those two things
• relates to correlational methods

Question 12

correlation coefficient

Answer 12

• statistical index ranging from -1.00 to +1.00 that indicates how strongly a pair of variables are associated

Question 13

causal claims

Answer 13

• when you say one thing directly causes another thing to happen

Question 14

random assignment

Answer 14

• Each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition of the study
• Ensures that at the start of the experiment, that on average those different groups will average out on any variable

Question 15

random sample

Answer 15

• ppl who are randomly selected from the population

Question 16

confound

Answer 16

• related to experimental methods
• anything that may unintentionally vary along with the independent variable

Question 17

quasi-experiment

Answer 17

• Experimental design where random assignment is not possible
• E.g. a researcher takes advantage of pre-existing groups or conditions

Question 18

field experiment

Answer 18

• An experiment conducted outside of a lab setting

Question 19

external validity

Answer 19

• generalizability
• how a study can be applied to other places/groups of people

Question 20

internal validity

Answer 20

• causality
• how well study established a cause and effect relationship

Question 21

reliability

Answer 21

• The consistency of a measure

Question 22

replication

Answer 22

• Repeating an experiment and producing the same results

Question 23

descriptive statistics

Answer 23

• Statistical methods that organize data into meaningful patterns and summaries, such as finding the average value

Question 24

inferential statistics

Answer 24

• Statistical methods that allow experimenters to extend conclusions from samples to larger populations
• conclusions or predictions about a larger group based on a sample of data

Question 25

normal distribution/curve

Answer 25

• symmetrical probability function
• When an equal number of scores should occur above and below the mean
• The shape should indicate that most scores occur near the mean

Question 26

WEIRD samples

Answer 26

• western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic samples

Question 27

open science

Answer 27

• a scholarly movement that aims to make the research process transparent, credible, reproducible, and accessible

Question 28

hawthorne effect

Answer 28

• people act differently when they know they’re being watched

Question 29

observer bias

Answer 29

• when a researcher’s personal views affect how they view and collect data

Question 30

self-report bias

Answer 30

• when people’s answers don’t fully reflect the truth bc they want to make themselves look good

Question 31

better-than-average effect

Answer 31

• when people think they’re better than others even when it’s not true