Chapter 2: Psychological Research Flashcards
Deductive Reasoning
Ideas are tested in the real world
Inductive reasoning
Real world observations lead to new ideas to test
Theory
Well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation of observed phenomena
Falsifiable
Able to be disproven by experimental results
Case Study
Observational research study focusing on one or a few people
Naturalistic Observations
Observation of behavior in its natural setting
Surveys
List of questions to be answered by research participants, allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people
Longitudinal Study
Study in which the same group of individuals is surveyed/measured repeatedly over an extended period of time
Attrition
Reduction in number of research participants that drop out of an experiment over time.
Correlation
Relationship between 2+ variables, one changes as the other does (normal/positive or inversely/negative)
Illusory correlation
Correlation, not causation
Confirmation bias
Tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas/beliefs
Inter-rater reliability
Measure of agreement among observers on how they record/classify a particular event
Double-blind study
Experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to which group the participants are part of. (Control v experimental group)
Independent variable
Variable messed with by experimenter; difference between control and experimental group; ‘cause’ variable
Dependent variable
Variable not messed with by experimenter; ‘effect’ variable
Random sample
Subset of a larger population in which every member of said population has equal chance of being selected
Reliability
Consistency and reproducibility of a given result
Validity
Accuracy of given result in measuring what it is designed to
IRB
Institutional Review Board
Committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants.
Informed consent
Process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, implications of the research, and obtaining the person’s consent to participate
Debriefing
When an experiment involves deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion
