Chapter 1.4

Question 1

laboratory

Answer 1

A controlled setting in which many of the complex factors of the “real world” are removed.

Question 2

What are some drawbacks from laboratory research?

Answer 2

1. It is almost impossible to conduct research without the participants knowing they are being studied.
2. The laboratory setting is unnatural and therefore can cause the participants to behave unnaturally.
3. People who are willing to come to a university laboratory may not accurately represent groups from diverse cultural backgrounds.
4. People who are unfamiliar with university settings and with the idea of “helping science” may be intimidated by the laboratory setting.

Question 3

naturalistic observation

Answer 3

naturalistic observation Studies that involve observing behavior in real-world settings.

Question 4

standardized test

Answer 4

A test with uniform procedures for administration and scoring. Many standardized tests allow a person’s performance to be compared with the performance of other individuals.

Question 5

case study

Answer 5

An in-depth look at a single individual.

Question 6

Physiological measures

Answer 6

-Hormone levels are increasingly used in developmental research.
-neuroimaging, especially functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in which electromagnetic waves are used to construct images of a person’s brain tissue and biochemical activity
-lectroencephalography (EEG) is a physiological measure that has been used for many decades to monitor overall electrical activity in the brain
-Heart rate
-Eye movements
-Gene assesments

Question 7

descriptive research

Answer 7

Studies designed to observe and record behavior.

Question 8

correlational research

Answer 8

Research that attempts to determine the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics.

Question 9

correlation coefficient

Answer 9

A number based on statistical analysis that is used to describe the degree of association between two variables.

Question 10

experiment

Answer 10

A carefully regulated procedure in which one or more of the factors believed to influence the behavior being studied are manipulated while all other factors are held constant.

Question 11

What is an independent variable?

Answer 11

An independent variable is a manipulated, influential, experimental factor. It is a potential cause. The label “independent” is used because this variable can be manipulated independently of other factors to determine its effect.

Question 12

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 12

A dependent variable is a factor that can change in an experiment, in response to changes in the independent variable.

Question 13

cross-sectional approach

Answer 13

A research strategy in which individuals of different ages are compared at one time.

Question 14

longitudinal approach

Answer 14

A research strategy in which the same individuals are studied over a period of time, usually several years or more.

Question 15

cohort effects

Answer 15

Characteristics determined by a person’s time of birth, era, or generation rather than the person’s actual age.

Question 16

Address APA’s 4 important issues

Answer 16

-Informed consent
-Confidentially
-Debriefing
-Decepion

Question 17

ethnic gloss

Answer 17

Using an ethnic label such as African American or Latino in a superficial way that portrays an ethnic group as being more homogeneous than it really is.