chap 1 key terms Flashcards
accuracy
o Accuracy- how close a measurement is to the ‘true value’; it cannot be a fixed number, but may be described as more or less accurate.
aim
o Aim- question/statement about what researcher intends to investigate; describes purpose of study
anecdote
o Anecdote- factual claim based only on personal observation, collected in a casual or non-systematic way.
beneficence
o Beneficence- maximising benefits minimising risk/harm during research.
between subject design
o Between subject designs- research design where participants are tested only once, usually within an experimental/control group, also called independent groups.
case study
o Case study- research investigation focusing on a particular person or event, which is studied in depth, usually involve direct observation and the gathering of qualitative data and provide insight into a particular psychological phenomenon.
conclusion
o Conclusion- statement that makes a judgement about the meaningfulness of the findings of the investigation; should answer the question posed in the aim.
confidentiality
o Confidentiality- participants rights to privacy and security of their personal information, including not being identifiable in the results.
confounding variable
o Confounding variable- a type of extraneous variable that ends up changing the DV in an unwanted way; this confounds the results as its impossible to determine the cause of the change in the DV; interfere with the internal validity of the study.
control group
o Control group- in a controlled experiment, the group of participants that is not exposed to the IV; it provides a comparison for the group hat is exposed to the treatment, so ideally, its members are matched to the members of the experimental group or other relevant variables.
controlled experiment
o Controlled experiment- type of research investigation where researcher manipulates one or more IV’s and then measures the effect on the DV; researcher attempts to control the influence of other variables that could also affect the DV; usually involves the comparison of outcomes for a control group and an experimental group.
controlled variable
o Controlled variable- an extraneous variable whose influence has been eliminated from an experiment so that it cant affect results; it has been controlled using a particular strategy.
convenience sampling
o Convenience sampling- a method for selecting participants; they are selected because they are readily available to the researcher.
correlation study
o Correlation study- a scientific investigation involving measuring variables in an uncontrolled setting to identify and understand any relationships that may exist between them.
data
o Data- the observed facts that constitute the results of an experiment.
debriefing
o Debriefing- at the end of a research study, participants are informed of the study’s true purpose, essential in studies where deception has been necessary; mistaken beliefs are corrected and information is provided about services to help with distress resulting from participation.
deception
o Deception- withholding information from participants about the true nature of and procedures used in a study; used in cases where giving participants the information beforehand might influence their responses and affect the internal validity of the study.
DV
o Dependent variable- the variable that is measured in an experiment; it is expected to change when exposed to the IV, represented in graphs on the y-axis.
descriptive statistics
o Descriptive statistics- statistics used to summarize and organise data; includes measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), the range and spread (standard deviation) of data, frequency graphs and tables.
ethical guidelines
o Ethical guidelines- considerations about how an investigation may affect human or non-human participants that must be taken into account before an investigation is carried out.
experimental group
o Experimental group- in a controlled experiment, the group of participants exposed to the IV.
external validity
o External validity- the extent to which the results of an investigation can be applied (or generalised) to people or situations beyond the sample.
extraneous variable
o Extraneous variable- any variable, other than the IV, that may change the results; researchers try to control extraneous variables before the research starts by thinking of what they could be and then taking steps to stop their affect.
fieldwork
o Fieldwork- a data-collecting technique where an animal or person is observed in their natural environment; there is no experimental control of variables, also known as naturalistic observation.
hypothesis
o Hypothesis- a testable prediction about the relationship between two variables; it is based on prior knowledge, so it is also considered to be an educated guess.
IV
o Independent variable- the variable systematically manipulated by the experimenter to gauge its effect on the DV; represented in graphs on the x axis.
informed consent
o Informed consent- before participating, the researcher must explain the nature and purpose of the experiment, the potential risks and the participants rights; participants then give their consent in writing should they wish to proceed.
integrity
o Integrity- when completing research, the commitment to searching for knowledge, the honest reporting of all sources of information and results (whether favourable or unfavourable) in ways that permit scrutiny and contribute to public knowledge and understanding.
internal validity
o Internal validity- refers to whether the study was carried out following scientific procedures; in particular, variables putting pressure on yourself to be perfect or fear of public speaking.
