Chapter 1 - Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Flashcards
hindsight bias
The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
“I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon
“20/20 hindsight”
critical thinking
a type of thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions
Examining assumptions, discerning hidden values, evaluating evidence, and assessing conclusions
theory
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations
hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied in a theory
operational definition
A statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables
[e.x. intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures]
replication
Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations to se whether the basic findings extends to other paritcipants and circumstances
case study
An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
survey
A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people usually by accustoming a representative, random sample of them
false consensus effect
The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors
population
All the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study
EXCEPT FOR NATIONAL STUDIES, THIS DOES NOT REFER TO A WHOLE CONTRIES’ POPULATION
random sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
naturalistic observation
Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
correlation coefficient
A statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
scatterplot
A graphed cluster of clots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the point suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables.
The amount of scatterplot suggests the strength of the correlation
“scattergram”
“scatter diagram”
illusory correlation
The perception of a relationship where none exists
experiment
A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (the independent variable) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable)
Other relevant factors of the experiment are controlled by random assignment of the participants
double-blind procedure
An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind)about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo
Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies
Helps reduce experimenter bias
placebo effect
Experimental results caused by expectations alone, any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent
experimental conditions group
The condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the variable
control condition group
The condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
random assignment
Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing pre-existing differences between those assigned to different groups
independent variable
The experimental factor that is manipulated, the variable whose effect is being studied
dependent variable
The experimental factor- in psychology - the behavior that is being measured; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
