Chapter 2

Question 1

operational definition

Answer 1

describes the actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable

Question 2

extraneous variables

Answer 2

any variables other than the independent variable that may influence the dependent variable

Question 3

confounding of variables

Answer 3

occurs when two variables are linked together in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effects

Question 4

hypothesis

Answer 4

tentative statement about the relationship between variables, prediction

Question 5

theory

Answer 5

a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations, understanding

Question 6

naturalistic observation

Answer 6

a researcher engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with subjects

Question 7

reactivity

Answer 7

occurs when a subject’s behavior is altered by the presence of an observer

Question 8

case study

Answer 8

an in-depth investigation of an individual subject

Question 9

meta-analysis

Answer 9

combines the statistical results of many studies of the sam question, yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variable’s effects

Question 10

placebo effect

Answer 10

occurs when participant’s expectations lead them to experience some change even though they receive fake treatment

Question 11

social desirability bias

Answer 11

giving socially approved of answers

Question 12

response set

Answer 12

tendency to respond to question in a way that is unrelated to the content of the questions

Question 13

halo effect

Answer 13

one’s overall evaluation of something spills over to influence specific ratings