Ch2: Research Methods

Question 1

What is a functional rship?

Answer 1

rship between changes in an IV and changes in a DV (cause and effect rship)

Question 2

What is a stimulus?

Answer 2

any event that can potentially influence behaviour

Question 3

What is a responce?

Answer 3

particular instances of behaviour

Question 4

What is overt behaviour and what is covert behaviour?

Answer 4

O= potentially be observed by others not performing behaviour (external). C= can be percieved only by the person performing the behaviour (internal)

Question 5

What is appetitive and aversive stimuli?

Answer 5

App= event that an organism will seek out, Av= event that an organism will avoid

Question 6

What is a motivating operation?

Answer 6

any procedure that affects the appetitivness/aversivness of an event

Question 7

What are the two types of motivating operations?

Answer 7

establishing operation (increased app/av of event) & abolishing operation (decreases app/av of event)

Question 8

What does contiguity mean and what are the two types?

Answer 8

(closeness or nearness) temporal- extent to which events occur close together in time. spacial- extent to which events are situated close together in space

Question 9

What is contingency?

Answer 9

a predictive (or functional) rship between two events, such that the occurance of one event predicts the probable occurance of another

Question 10

What are behavioural definitions?

Answer 10

refers to some observable behaviour (unambiguous, clear, objective)

Question 11

Describe intensity

Answer 11

force or magnitude of behaviour

Question 12

Describe duration

Answer 12

length of time

Question 13

Describe speed

Answer 13

from start to finish

Question 14

Describe latency.

Answer 14

length of time required for a behaviour to begin (lag time)

Question 15

Describe INTERVAL RECORDING

Answer 15

measurement of whether or not a behaviour occurs during each interval during a series of continuous intervals (no. of intervals in concern)

Question 16

Describe time sample recording

Answer 16

measure of whether of not a behaviour occurs during each interval within a series of discontinuous intervals (spaced apart - time blocks)

Question 17

Describe topography

Answer 17

physical form of behaviour (eg how rats press on lever)

Question 18

What demonstrates interobserver reliability?

Answer 18

two or some independant observers for at least part of the assessment (no. of intervals during which observers agree ÷ total no. intervals

Question 19

What is decriptive research?

Answer 19

gathering info about a behaviour and circumstances it occurs in (no manipulation of variables)

Question 20

What is naturalistic observation?

Answer 20

one systematically observes and records occurance of a behaviour in natural environment

Question 21

What are strengths and weaknesses of naturalistic observation?

Answer 21

rish and detailed info, but difficult to determine cause and effect and extranious variables