Chapter 2 Flashcards
Empiricism
belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation
Scientific Method
procedure for using empirical evidence to establish facts
Theories
using observations to form ideas about how the world works
can always be proven WRONG, but can NEVER be proved RIGHT (could always be wrong tomorrow)
Hypothesis
falsifiable prediction made by a theory
Why are humans hard to study?
- They are highly COMPLEX
- They are highly VERIABLE
- They are highly REACTIVE
How to make a Measurement
- Define a property we want to measure
- Find a way to detect it
Operational Definition
description of property in measurable terms
Construct Validity
the extent to which the thing being measured arcuately characterizes the property
(is the operational definition a good one?)
What makes a good detector?
Power and Reliability
Power
ability to detect changed in magnitude of a property
Reliability
ability to detect absence of changes in magnitude of property
Demand Characteristics
aspects of observational setting that cause people to behave as they thins someone wants
Naturalistic Observation
gathering info by observing people in their natural habitat
How to avoid demand characteristics
- Natural Observation
- Privacy (answer in private)
- Study Involuntary Behaviors (ex- pupils dilating)
- Unawareness (don’t know how they should behave)
Observer Bias
expectations can influence observations and reality
observer’s expectations can influence both what they think they observed and what they actually observed
Double Blind Study
neither observer nor participants know how the participants are expected to behave
Correlation
variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with the variations in the value of the other
Positive Correlation
more is more
Negative Correlation
less is more
Causation
correlation does not mean causation due to the third value problem
Third Value Problem
natural correlation between two variables cannot be taken as evidence of a casual relationship between them because a THIRD variable could be causing them both
Experimentation
determining whether there is a casual relationship between variables
Manipulation
determining the casual power of a variable by changing its value
1. manipulate 1 variable (dependent)
2. measure other variable
3. compare values
Random Assignment
assign participations to condition by change
creates equal samples of types of people in each condition
removes the problems of self selection (the same types of people might chose certain condtions)
Internal Validity
attribute of experiment that allows it to establish casual relationships
(is the experiment working as it should?)
External Validity
variables have been operationally defined in a normal/realistic way
Operational Definition
how variables are defined in the scope of the experiment
Generalizability Restrictions
based on the sample we are studying, we can’t always make generalizations about a population unless we used random sampling
Case Method
study one individual person
Replication
experiment that uses that same procedures as previous experiment but with a new sample from same pop
Ethics of Science
- Respect of person and their rights to make decisions with out coercion or influence
- Beneficent (max benefits and min risks)
- Research should be just
Rules that Govern Psychological Research
- Informed Consent
- Freedom from Coercion
- Protection from Harm
- Risk-Harm Analysis
- Deception
- Debriefing
- Confidentiality
