Chapter 2: Methods of Psychology Flashcards
case study
in-depth analysis of the behaviour of one person or a small number of people
confirmation bias
the tendency to notice and remember instances that support your beliefs more than instances that contradict them
confounding variables
variable that is irrelevant to the hypothesis being tested but can alter researcher’s conclusions
constructs
a hypothetical internal attribute that cant be directly observed but is useful for explaining and describing behaviour
control group
group without the independant variable
correlations
a measure of the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables
critical thinking
the ability to think rationally and independantly
cross-sectional study
an experimental design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained simultaneously from people of different ages
dependent variable
a measure that demonstrates the effects of an independent variable; the “result” part of a hypothesis
descriptive methods
research methods designed for making careful, systematic observations
descriptive statistics
statistical methods organize data into meaningful patterns and summaries, such as finding the average value
double-blind procedure
controls placebo effects; the participant and researcher does not know whether the participant was given an active substance, treatment, or placebo
experiment
a research method that tests hypotheses and allows researchers to make conclusions about causality
experimental groups
a group of participants who are exposed to the independent variable
field experiments
an experiment conducted outside of a laboratory setting
focus groups
a small, often deliberately chosen group of people who engage in a structured discussion on a topic
generalization
to extend conclusions to larger population outside your research sample
hypothesis
a proposed explanation for a situation usually taking the form of “if A happens, then B will be the result”
independent variable
an experimental variable controlled and manipulated by the experimenter; the “if A happens” part
inferential statistics
statistical methods that allow experimenters to extend conclusions from samples to larger populations
informed consent
permission obtained from a research participant after the risks and benefits of an experimental procedure have been thoroughly explained
interview
q and a session between the participant and the researcher
longitudinal study
an experimental design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained from the same individuals at intervals over a long period of time
mean
the numerical average of a set of scores
measure
a method for describing a variable’s quantity
median
the halfway mark in a set of data, with half of the scores above it and half below
meta-analysis
a statistical analysis of many previous experiments on a single topic
mixed longitudinal design
a method for assessing age-related changes that combines the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches by observing a cross-section of participants over a shorter period than is used typically in longitudinal studies
mode
the most frequently occurring score on a set of data
naturalistic observation
an in-depth study of a phenomenon in its natural setting
normal distribution
a symmetrical probability function
null hypothesis
a hypothesis stating the default position that there is no real difference between two measures
objectivity
the practics of basing conclusions on facts, without the influence of personal emotion and bias
operationalization
defining constructs in ways that allow them to be measured
peer review
the process of having other experts examine research prior to its publication
placebo
an inactive substance or treatment that cannot b distinguished from a real active substance; fake drugs
population
the entire group from which a sample is taken
publication bias
the possibility that published studies are not representative of all work done on a particular phenomenon
random assignment
the procedure in which each participant has an equal change of being placed in any group in an experiment
reliability
the consistency of a measure, including test-retest, interrater, inter method, and internal consistency
replication
repeating an experiment and producing the same results
sample
a subset of a population being studied
science
a method of learning about reality through systematic observation and experimentation
standard deviation
a measure of how tightly clustered around the mean a group of scores is
statistical significance
a standard for deciding whether an observed result is because of chance
surveys
a descriptive method in which participants are asked the same question
theories
a set of facts and relationships between facts that can explain and predict related phemomena
third variable
a variable that is responsible for a correlation observed between two other variables of interest
validity
a quality of a measure that leads to correct conclusions(ie the measure evaluates the concept that it was designed to do)
variables
a factor that has a range of values
