Chapter 2 Flashcards
what is a population in a research study ?
The entire group in which the investigator wants to draw conclusions from
What is a sample ?
The subset of a population chosen by the investigator for a study
What is the difference between a random sample and a random assignment ?
A random sample is about giving the population an equal representation in a study or the sample being a representation of the population a random assignment is about making the experimental and the control group equivalent
2 common physical settings for research
Research lab or natural settings
Naturalistic Observations
Viewing behavior in a real world setting
Descriptive Statistics
A mathematical procedure that is used to describe and summarize sets of data in a meaningful way
Experimental Design
Mean
The average
Measures of central tendency
The mean, the median, the mode
Median
Middle score
Mode
Most common score
Standard Deviation
The measure of how much the scores in a sample differ from the average or mean
Measures of Dispersion
Describes how much the scores in a sample differ from one another
How do you calculate Standard Deviation
Take each persons difference from the mean and square it then add the squared deviation and divide by the number of cases minus 1 then take the square root of that number
What is meant by the measure of central tendency ?
The mean the median and the mode
What 2 things do the ethical principles used in research seek to balance
Rights of the participants and the rights of the scientists to ask research questions
With respect to participants in a study, what to the various ethical guidelines covering research all fundamentally seek to protect ?
What 4 key issues do the APA’s ethics guidelines address
What did pennebakers subsequent experimental research show ?
What does the accumulated body of evidence indicate about the effects of expressive writing on health?
Theory
A set of ideas or idea that helps explain observations and allows scientists to make predictions.
5 steps of the scientific method
- Observing some phenomena
- Formulating Hypotheses and predictions
- Testing through empirical research
- Drawing Conclusions
- Evaluating the theory
Hypothesis
An educated guess or a prediction that is able to be tested
Prediction
A statement about the expectation of the outcome of a study
Empirical Method
Gaining understanding through observations and objective data
Variable
Anything that can change
Operational Definition
An objective definition that describes how the variable is going to be observed and measured
Case Study
An in depth look at a single individual
Case History
Confederate
Control Group
Correlational Research
Studies the relationship between two variables to find out if they change and why they change together
Cross Sectional Design
A type of correlational study in which the variables are measured at a single point in time
Demand Characteristic
Dependent Variable
What is changing based on the independent variable
Descriptive Research
Describes a phenomenon or defines it and can identify problems. Cannot prove what causes the phenomena
Descriptive Statistics
Double Blind Experiment
Empirical Method
Experiment
A regulated procedure in which a researcher manipulates one or more variables
Experimental group
Experiment Bias
External Validity
The degree to which an experiment replicates real world issues it is supposed to address
Hypothesis
Independent Variable
What the researcher changes to see how it affects the variable
Inferential Statistics
Mathematical data that shows wether the data sufficiently support a hypothesis
Internal Validity
The degree to which changes in the dependent variable are because of the independent variable
Longitudinal Design
A systematic observation that involves obtaining measures of the variables being studied over a long period of time
Third Variable Problem
Unmeasured variable that is the reason for the relationship between to correlated variables
Naturalistic Observation
Population
The entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions
Placebo effect
Range
The distance between the highest and lowest score
Replication
Repeating a study with a new sample to see if the outcome is the same
Research participant bias
Meta analysis
A statistical procedure that combines a large amount of evidence from research literature on a specific topic
Why is an operational definition valuable in a study
It is valuable bc it sets a clear definition for how the variable will be observed and measured in order to eliminate misunderstanding and increase validity of study
Why do researchers use meta analysis
To determine wether a result is consistent and to estimate the size of the relationship between variables or the effect of an intervention
Random Sample
A sample that gives every member from the population an equal chance of getting chosen
