Chapter 1 (Reaserch in psychology) Flashcards
Define psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior and how these are affected by internal processes and the environment.
Pop psych
term used for a wide range of popularized psychological theories and concepts that may or may not have a basis in psychology
oversimplified accounts of psychological issues based on anecdotal evidence and popular beliefs
neuroeconomics
combines neuroscience, economics, and psychology to investigate how people make choices in economics.
Looking at the brain when people evaluate decisions.
biological level
focuses on psychology and genetics
cognitive level
focuses on mental processes like memory, thinking, perception, and attention
sociocultural level
focuses on how environmental and culture affect behavior or thinking
social cognition
refers to how we process, store, and use information about other people.
epistemology
ways of knowing
target population
the group whose behavior the researcher wishes to investigate
sample
the nature of the group of participants
representative sample
when researchers try to obtain a sample that represents a population
self-selected samples
sampling method which is made up of volunteers.
snowball sampling
when participants recruit other participants from among their friends and acquaintances
(sample grows like a snowball rolling downhill)
participant variability
the extent to which the participants may share common set of traits that can bias the outcome of the study
random sampling
one in which every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected.
stratified sample
attempts to overcome a problem by drawing random samples from each subpopulation within the target population.
informed consent
participants must be informed about the nature of study and agree to participate
deception
sometimes the researchers does not want the participants to know the exact aim of a study because it could affect the results. Deception should generally not be used; however, slight deception - which does not cause any stress to the participant - may be used in some cases. At the end of the study, any deception must be explained to the participants
debriefing
At the end of all studies; the true aims and purpose of the research must be revealed to the participants. Any deception must be revealed and justified. All participants should leave the study without undue stress.
Withdrawal from a study
at the beginning of a study, participants should be told that they have the right to leave the study at any time, and that they can withdraw their data at the end of the study if they wish..