Chapter 2 (module 1)

Question 1

archival research

Answer 1

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research
questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

Question 2

attrition

Answer 2

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

Question 3

cause-and-effect relationship

Answer 3

changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be
determined only through an experimental research design

Question 4

clinical or case study

Answer 4

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

Question 5

confirmation bias

Answer 5

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

Question 6

confounding variable

Answer 6

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

Question 7

control group

Answer 7

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

Question 8

correlation

Answer 8

relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable
changes as the other does

Question 9

correlation coefficient

Answer 9

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship
between variables, and usually represented by r

Question 10

cross-sectional research

Answer 10

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

Question 11

debriefing

Answer 11

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful
information about the experiment at its conclusion

Question 12

deception

Answer 12

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the
experiment

Question 13

deductive reasoning

Answer 13

results are predicted based on a general premise

Question 14

dependent variable

Answer 14

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent
variable had

Question 15

double-blind study

Answer 15

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group
assignments

Question 16

empirical

Answer 16

grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless
of who is observing

Question 17

experimental group

Answer 17

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the
only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due
to experimental manipulation rather than chance

Question 18

experimenter bias

Answer 18

fact

Question 19

falsifiable

Answer 19

able to be disproven by experimental results

Question 20

generalize

Answer 20

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

Question 21

hypothesis (plural: hypotheses)

Answer 21

tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or
more variables

Question 22

illusory correlation

Answer 22

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

Question 23

independent variable

Answer 23

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound
experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental
and control group

Question 24

inductive reasoning

Answer 24

conclusions are drawn from observations

Question 25

informed consent

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Answer 26

committee of administrators, scientists,
veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human
animals

Question 27

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Answer 27

committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that
reviews proposals for research involving human participants

Question 28

inter-rater reliability

Answer 28

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a
particular event

Question 29

longitudinal research

Answer 29

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured
repeatedly over an extended period of time

Question 30

naturalistic observation

Answer 30

observation of behavior in its natural setting

Question 31

negative correlation

Answer 31

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other
becomes smaller; a negative correlation is not the same thing as no correlation

Question 32

observer bias

Answer 32

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

Question 33

operational definition

Answer 33

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent
variables and manipulate the independent variables

Question 34

opinion

Answer 34

personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate

Question 35

participants

Answer 35

subjects of psychological research

Question 36

peer-reviewed journal article

Answer 36

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

Question 37

placebo effect

Answer 37

people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given
situation

Question 38

population

Answer 38

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

Question 39

positive correlation

Answer 39

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

Question 40

random assignment

Answer 40

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal
chance of being assigned to either group

Question 41

random sample

Answer 41

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal
chance of being selected

Question 42

reliability

Answer 42

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

Question 43

replicate

Answer 43

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability

Question 44

sample

Answer 44

subset of individuals selected from the larger population

Question 45

single-blind study

Answer 45

experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental
group and which are in the control group

Question 46

statistical analysis

Answer 46

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

Question 47

survey

Answer 47

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

Question 48

theory

Answer 48

well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

Question 49

validity

Answer 49

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure