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..
Confidentiality
all the information that is obtained in a study must be confidential
protection from physical or mental harm
It’s important to make sure that no harm is done to participants. It is not permitted to humiliate a participant or force them to reveal private information
Application
how a theory or empirical study is used
ecological validity
study represents what happens in real life
cross-cultural validity
research is relevant to other cultures
ethnocentric
based on values and beliefs of one culture
reliable
results can be replicated
independent variable
researcher deliberately manipulates, while trying to keep all other variables constant.
dependent variable
the variable that is measured after the manipulation of the independent variable
operationalized
variables need to be written in such a way that it is clear WHAT is being measured
experimental hypothesis
predicts the relationship between the IV and the DV - that is, what we expect will come out of the manipulation of the independent variable.
field experiment
the experiment takes place in a natural environment, but the researchers still manipulate variables
natural experiment
experiment where the researchers have no control over the variables (naturally occurring)
Confounding variables
undesirable variables that influence the relationship between the independent and dependent variables
demand characteristics
This is when participants act differently simply because they know that they are in an experiment. They may try to guess the aims of the study and act accordingly. Hawthorne effect.
single blind control
participants do not know what the study is about
researcher bias
when experimenter sees what he or she is looking for
participant variabilitiy
characteristics of the sample affect the dependent variable.
artificiality
situation is created so unlikely to occur that one has to wonder if there is any validity in the findings.
positive correlation
both variables are affected in the same way
negative correlation
one variable increases, the other decreases
triangulation
when researchers combine different research methods in a study in order to collect richer data
deductive approach
when we consider experiments, a hypothesis is a claim that is tested against empirical evidence so that it can be either accepted or rejected
structured inteview
the interview schedule may state exactly what questions should be asked, as well as the order of the questions
unstructured interview
the interview schedule only specifies the topic and the available time
semi-structured interviews
looks like an informal conversation, but the interview does follow a schedule
naturalistic observations
observations in a natural setting
researcher bias
the observation should not be affected by what the researcher expects to find
inter-observer reliability
to make sure that what they observed actually happened
reactivity
when humans and animals change their behavior when they are observed
covert observation
they don’t know they are observed
over observation
the participants know that the observer is a researcher
