Chapter 2 Flashcards
Define this explanation - The process of assessing claims and making judgements on the basis of well-supported evidence
Critical Thinking
Define ‘hyopthesis’
A specific testable proposition about a phenomenon
Define ‘Operational definition’
A statement that defines the exact operations or methods used in research
Define ‘variable’
A factor or characteristic that is manipulated or measured in research
Define ‘reliability’
The degree to which degree to which results occur repeatedly
Define ‘validity’
The degree to which test scores are interpreted correctly and used appropriately
What are the 4 main goals in psychology research?
- Describe behaviour
- Make accurate predictions.
- Demonstrate control.
- Explain how and why.
Define ‘observational methods’
Procedures for systematically watching behaviour in order to summarise it for scientific analysis.
Define ‘naturalistic observation’
The process of watching without interfering
Define ‘case study’
The method of intensive examination of some phenomenon in a particular group or individual.
Define ‘correlational study’
Examining relationships between variables in order to analyse trends, test predictions, evaluate theories and form new hypotheses.
Define a ‘confound’ in an experiment
Any factor that affects the dependent variable, along with or instead of the independent variable.
Define ‘random variable’
A confound in which uncontrolled or uncontrollable factors affect the dependent variable.
Define Randomising
Assigning through a random process to ensure random variables are evenly distributed.
Define experimenter bias
A confound which occurs when an experimenter unintentionally encourages participants to respond in a certain way.
