Chapter 2-Methedology Flashcards
The Hindsight Bias
tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted the outcome after knowing
that it occurred
Diffusion of Responsibility
when there’s a situation where someone needs help and bystanders are present, so you don’t do anything because you assume someone else will
Operational Definition
specific definition of how variables are measured or manipulated
Ethnography
method where researchers try to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside without disrupting preconceived notions they might have
Archival Analysis
form of observational method where the researcher examines the accumulated documents of a culture
(diaries, novels, newspapers, etc.)
Internal Validity
ensuring that nothing other than the independent variable can affect the dependent variable
External Validity
extent to which the results of a study can apply to other situations and other ppl
Psychological Realism
extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to psychological processes that occur in everyday life
Cover Story
description of the purpose of a study given to participants that is dif from its true purpose
Basic Dilemma of the Psychologist
the trade-off between internal and external validity in conducting research
-challenge is to devise a study that maximizes both
Meta-Analysis
statistical technique that averages the results of two or more studies to see if the effect of an independent variable is reliable
Basic Research
studies designed to find the best answer to why ppl behave the way they do and that are conducted purely for reasons of intellectual curiosity
Applied Research
studies designed specifically to solve a particular social problem; building a theory of behaviour is usually secondary to solving the specific problem
Theory
An organized set of principles that can be used to explain observed phenomena
Hypothesis
A testable statement or idea about the relationship between two or more variables
Observational Method
The technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records measurements of their behaviour
Correlational Method
The technique whereby researchers systematically measure two or more variables and assess the relation between them (i.e., how much one can be predicted from the other)
Correlation Coefficient
A statistic that assesses how well you can predict one variable based on another (e.g., how well you can predict people’s weight from their height)
Probability Level
(p-Value) A number, calculated with statistical techniques, that tells researchers how likely it is that the results of their experiment occurred by chance and not because of the independent variable
5 Steps if Scientific method
- State a problem for study
- Formulate a testable hypothesis
- Design a study to test hypothesis and collect data
- Analyze data
- Report study results to scientific community
Types of Research Designs
-observational method
-correlational method
-experimental method
Survey
a convenient way to measure people’s attitudes or self-reported behaviour
Experimental method
the best method to establish cause-and-effect relationships
Experimental realism
participants forget they are in an experiment
Mundane Realism
setting in the experiment resembles the real world
