Chapter 1

Question 1

Hindsight Bias

Answer 1

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.(also known as the I knew it all along phenomenon)

Question 2

How does our everyday thinking sometimes lead us to a wrong conclusion?

Answer 2

Having a hindsight bias, being overconfident and perceiving order in random events.

Question 3

Why, after friends start dating, do we often feel that we knew they were meant to be together?

Answer 3

We often suffer from a hindsight bias.

Question 4

What are the three ingredients to a scientific attitude?

Answer 4

Curiosity, skepticism, and humility.

Question 5

What’s the definition of a theory?

Answer 5

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.

Question 6

Hypothesis

Answer 6

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

Question 7

Operational Definition

Answer 7

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study.

Question 8

Replication

Answer 8

Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.

Question 9

How do theories advance psychological science?

Answer 9

They organize observations, and generate hypotheses, and can also confirm, reject, or revise theories.

Question 10

What does a good theory do?

Answer 10

organize observed facts, implies hypotheses that offer testable predictions and, sometimes, practical observations; it also stimulates further research.

Question 11

Why is replication important?

Answer 11

To confirm results in studies and help be more confident of its reliability.

Question 12

Case study

Answer 12

A descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Question 13

Naturalistic observation

Answer 13

A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in its natural state without trying to control and manipulate the situation.

Question 14

We cannot assume that case studies always reveal general principles that apply to all of us. Why not?

Answer 14

Case studies involve only one individual or group, so we cant know fore sure whether the principles observed would apply to a macro perspective.

Question 15

What are some advantages and disadvantages of naturalistic observation?

Answer 15

For advantages, it allows researchers to observe behavior in more natural settings, provides ideas for future research, obtains descriptive data, and allows ideas to not be manipulated. For disadvantages, it individuals may act different when observed, we are unknown to other variables, we aren’t sure what’s going on in a persons mind, and observer bias may play a role.

Question 16

Survey

Answer 16

A descriptive technique for obtaining the self reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of a group.

Question 17

Random Sample

Answer 17

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Question 18

Population

Answer 18

All those in a group being studied, from which samples are drawn.

Question 19

Correlation

Answer 19

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts another.

Question 20

Correlation coefficient

Answer 20

A statistical index of the relationship between two things

( from - to +)

Question 21

What is an unrepresentative sample, and how do researchers avoid it?

Answer 21

A group that does not represent the entire population being studied. Random sampling is often used to make a representative sample because each member can be included.

Question 22

Variable

Answer 22

Anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure.

Question 23

Scatterplot

Answer 23

A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation ( little scatter indicates high correlation).

Question 24

Illusory correlation

Answer 24

perceiving relationships where none exists, or perceiving a stronger then actual relationship.

Question 25

Regression toward the mean

Answer 25

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back toward the average

Question 26

What are illusory correlations, and what is regression toward the mean?

Answer 26

illusory correlations are random events that we notice and falsely assume they are related. Regression to the mean is the tendency for extreme and unusual scores to fall back toward their average.

Question 27

Experiment

Answer 27

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

Question 28

Experimental group

Answer 28

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable

Question 29

Control group

Answer 29

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Question 30

Random assignment

Answer 30

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, minimizing pre existing differences between the groups

Question 31

double blind procedure

Answer 31

an experimental procedure in which both groups, researcher and participant are oblivious to whether they have received the treatment, or a placebo.

Question 32

Independent variable

Answer 32

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Question 33

confounding variable

Answer 33

a factor other than the factored being studied that might influence a study’s result

Question 34

dependent variable

Answer 34

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.

Question 35

what measures doe researchers use to prevent the placebo effect from confusing their results

Answer 35

They will compare experimental group with a control group, and possible do a double blind procedure.

Question 36

By using random assignment, researches are able to control for….?, which are other factors besides independent variables that may influence research results.

Answer 36

confounding variables