Chapter 2 Key Terms Flashcards
method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships
archival research
reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time
attrition
changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design
cause-and-effect relationship
observational research study focusing on one or a few people
clinical or case study
tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs
confirmation bias
unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables
confounding variable
serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups
control group
relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does
correlation
number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r
correlation coefficient
compares multiple segments of a population at a single time
cross-sectional research
when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion
debriefing
purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment
deception
results are predicted based on a general premise
deductive reasoning
variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had
dependent variable
experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments
double-blind study
grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing
empirical
group designed to answer the research question; blank manipulation is the only difference between the blank and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to blank - manipulation rather than chance
experimental group
researcher expectations skew the results of the study
experimenter bias
objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research
fact
able to be disproven by experimental results
falsifiable
inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population
generalize
tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables
hypothesis (plural: hypotheses)
seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists
illusory correlation
variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the blank is the only important difference between the experimental and control group
independent variable
conclusions are drawn from observations
inductive reasoning
process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate
informed consent
committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event
inter-rater reliability
studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time
longitudinal research
observation of behaviour in its natural setting
naturalistic observation
two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a blank correlation is not the same thing as no correlation
negative correlation
when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations
observer bias
description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables
operational definition
personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate
opinion
subjects of psychological research
participants
article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication
peer-reviewed journal article
people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation
placebo effect
overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in
population
two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller
positive correlation
method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group
random assignment
subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
random sample
consistency and reproducibility of a given result
reliability
repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability
replicate
subset of individuals selected from the larger population
sample
experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group
Single blind study
determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance
statistical analysis
list of questions to be answered by research participants—given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally—allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people
survey
well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena
theory
accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure
validity
