Chapter 2 Flashcards
A systematic, organized approach to understanding the physical world through direct observation and measurement
Science
the ability to test a hypothesis with an objective, empirical observation that could
demonstrate the hypothesis to be incorrect
Falsifiability
a committee composed of scientists and administrators that oversees all human research in order to protect the rights of research participants
Institutional Review Board
a graph that shows the relation between two continuous variables.
Scatterplot
a type of mathematics used to describe and evaluate data
Statistics
Providing a clear understanding of when and where the observed behaviors occur
Description
Ask when and under which conditions the behavior will and will not occur
Prediction
Explains why the behavior happens the way it does
Explanation
Apply the knowledge gained to make a behavior occur or not occur
Control
A statement that clearly explains what is being measured and how to measure it
Operational Definition
Changes in behavior that occur because of being observed
Reactivity
The ability of the researcher to control the environment and minimize outside influences
Experimental Control
The degree to which the testing environment is similar to the real world context where the behavior typically occurs
Environmental Realism
A technology that measures changes in blood flow in the brain during mental activity
functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Refers to the ability to minimize the influence of variables other than those involved in the research question
Internal Validity
Refers to the degree to which findings from the study can be applied to situations and paricpants outside the original group of participants
External Validity
A research method where behavior is observed and recorded in the context where it typically occurs with as little interference from the researchers as possible
Naturalistic Observation
A detailed observation of a single individual or groups of individuals
Case Study
the degree to which findings from one context can be applied to a different context
Generalizability
The researchers measure two or more variables and then use statistical procedures to evaluate the degree of relationship between the variables.
Correlation Study
a situation where two variables are not directly related, but are statistically correlated.
Spurious Correlation
summarizes the degree of relatedness between two continuous variables.
Correlation Coefficient
the group given the treatment
Experimental Condition
The group not given the treatment
Control Condition
in the case of a drug therapy, if a group of depressed participants is given capsules filled with sugar, they will often feel some relief from their depression compared to a group of participants that are not given any sugar-filled capsules
The placebo effect
The environmental conditions that the researcher manipulates during the experiment.
Independent Variables
The behavior that is being directly measured and observed
Dependent Variable
Environmental factors other than the independent variables that influence on the observed level of the dependent variable
Confouding Variables
