Ch. 2 - Research Methods Flashcards
Scientific approach to anything assumes that…
events are governed by some lawful order
Psychologists and other scientists share these three goals:
1) Measurement and Description
2) Understanding and Predicting
3) Application and Control
Advantages of the Scientific Approach are (2)
1) Clarity and Precision
2) Intolerance to Error
Intolerance to Error is when…
two things conflict much work is put in by scientists to determine where the error came from and find a conclusion
Lab experiments usually have:
- at least two groups (experimental/control)
- at least two variables (independent/dependent)
- a confounding variable
An independent variable…
varies between set ups to determine its impact on another variable (possible to manipulate more than one)
A dependent variable is a variable…
whose outcome is thought to depend on the independent (or changing) variable (possible to measure more than one)
An experimental group is…
subjects who receive some special treatment in regards to the independent variable
A control group is…
similar subjects who did not receive the special treatment seen in the experimental group
Extraneous variables are…
any variables besides the independent variable that may have influenced the dependent variable in the specific study
Confounding of variables occurs when…
two variables are linked in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effects - hard to tell whether the independent variable is affecting the dependent variable or not
Disadvantages to scientific experiments are (2)
1) Artificial or far more simple than a real life circumstance
2) Some research questions cannot be tested
Lack of control is when…
they cannot demonstrate cause and effect relationships between variable
Correlation is when…
two variables are related to each other
Naturalistic observation is when a researcher…
engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with the subjects
Strengths of naturalistic observation (2)
- Real life
- Descriptive
Problems of naturalistic observation (4)
- Lacks control
- Cannot draw conclusions
- Participant reactivity
- Observer bias
Case study is…
an in-depth investigation of an individual subject
Problems of case studies are (2)
- Representativeness —cannot generalize one person to a large group
- relatively easy for investigators to see what they want to see or expect to see in case study research
Advantages of surveys are (2)
- Cheap
- Efficient
Weakness of surveys (2)
- Question bias
- People lie (recall bias, socially acceptable, simply lying)
Replication is…
repeating a study to see if the results are the same
Meta-analysis combines…
statistical results of many studies of the same question yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variable’s effect
Sampling bias exists when…
a sample is not representative of the population from which it is drawn
Sample is a…
collection of subjects selected for observation in an empirical study
Social desirability bias is the…
tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about one’s self
Others in distortions of self reported data…
misunderstand questions, error in memory, order the questions are asked
Halo effect occurs when…
someone’s overall evaluation of a person, object, or institution spills over to influence more specific ratings
Experimenter bias occurs when…
a researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the outcome of the results obtained
Reliability is the…
consistency with respect to measurement
Validity answers…
does it measure what it says it is measuring
Advantage of case studies
Rich data
Advantages of lab experiments (2)
- Control
- Determine cause and effect
Weaknesses of lab experiments (2)
- Artificial
- Ethics
