Chapter 2 Flashcards
The Research Process
empirical research
using direct na indirect observations and experiences to test questions.
peer review
when other scientific researchers review articles before publication.
research reports
a description of an empirical research study.
systematic review
synthesizes a number of research articles on a topic.
meta-analysis
a statistical analysis that compares or combines studies.
hypothesis
an educated guess.
scientific law
a statement based on repeated research that says something about the world.
scientific theory
a well-substantiated explanation about something in the world.
introspection
research on self.
Occam’s razor
cut away certain parts, don’t be too wordy. (aka the principle of parsimony)
Barnum effect
tendency for people to believe general descriptions about their personality.
variables
factors or elements you expect to change.
constant
factor that doesn’t change/stays constant.
conceptual definition
defending a variable in theoretical terms.
operational definition
defining how the variables will be used in your study.
experimental designs
the researcher controls or manipulates on variable for a cause-and-effect chain to go off between independent and dependent variables.
independent variable
manipulated variable in a study.
dependent variable
measures in response to the independent variable; the outcome of effect.
non-experimental design
no control over independent variable; no cause and effect relationships can be established. (often used to describe a phenomenon) (aka correlation design)
explanatory variable
a potential causal variable in a non-experimental study. (aka predictor variable)
criterion variable
the outcome variable in non-experimental designs. (aka response variable)
levels
different variations of the independent variable determined by the researcher.
between-subjects-design
participants are only assessed once on the dependent variable.
within-subjects-design
participants are assessed multiple times on the dependent variable.
longitudinal design
a collection of data on participants over a certain span on time.
programmatic research
studies built on previous studies to go deeper/get more answers.
research protocol
step by step “script” of study.
script
set of instructions for the researcher to read to participants.
informed consent
because of ethics; participants are told risks and benefits of the study.
debriefing
because of ethics; explains everything that happened in the study (afterwards) to participants.
data
distinct pieces of information.
research poster
a formal visual research presentation.
paper presentation
researcher presented orally. (often use PowerPoints or some type of presentation)
APA style
- American Psychological Association
- standard set of rules everyone follows when sharing research
