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Psychology > Chapter 2 - Psychological Research > Flashcards

Chapter 2 - Psychological Research Flashcards

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1
Q

empirical

A
  • what scientific knowledge (and psych) is grounded in
  • based on objective, tangible evidence that can be observed repetitively by different people
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2
Q

opinions

A
  • research makes the difference between facts and opinions
  • personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may be accurate
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3
Q

facts

A
  • research makes the difference between facts and opinions
  • observable realities
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4
Q

deductive reasoning

A
  • when ideas are tested in the real world
  • part of the scientific method, ongoing cycle of wonder and test
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5
Q

inductive reasoning

A
  • when real world observations lead to new ideas
  • part of the scientific method, ongoing cycle of wonder and test
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6
Q

theory

A
  • a well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena
  • repeatedly checked against the world, but usually to complex to test all a once
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7
Q

hypothesis

A
  • a testable prediction about how the world will behave if our idea is correct
  • often an if-then statement
  • used to test aspects of a theory
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8
Q

falsifiable

A
  • capable of being shown to be incorrect
  • allows hypotheses to be testable and allows for confidence it results it produces
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9
Q

clinical/case studies

A
  • when in observational research, scientists focus on one person or just a few individuals
  • can learn a lot about the phenomena this way
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10
Q

generalizing

A
  • the ability to apply the findings of a particular research project to larger segments of society
  • con of case studies because they can’t do this
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11
Q

naturalistic observation

A
  • observing behavior in its natural setting
  • ideally allows people to behave more normally when being observed
  • observer must be inconspicuous
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12
Q

observer bias

A
  • people who observe are closely involved in the research project and may unconsciously skew their observations to fit their research goals
  • negative of naturalistic observation
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13
Q

inter-rater reliability

A
  • a measure of reliability that assesses the consistency of observations by different observers
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14
Q

surveys

A
  • lists of questions to be answered by research participants (electronically, verbally, or by pen and paper)
  • con is people may not be truthful, less in depth information
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15
Q

sample

A
  • a subset of individuals studied that represent a larger population
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16
Q

population

A
  • the overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in
  • observe a smaller representative sample to do this
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17
Q

archival research

A
  • researchers using existing records to answer various research questions
  • con of this is they have no control on how research was collected
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18
Q

longitudinal research

A
  • a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time
  • con is results may not come for a long period of time, participants may drop out
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19
Q

cross-sectional research

A
  • a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time
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20
Q

attrition

A
  • reduction in the number of research participants due to dropouts
  • in longitudinal studies are quite high and increase over the course of a project
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21
Q

correlation

A
  • that there is a relationship between two or more variables
  • relationship does NOT imply cause and effect
  • allows us to discover the strength and direction of relationships that exist between two variables
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22
Q

correlation coefficient

A
  • a number from -1 to +1 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between variables
  • closer the number is to 1 (+ or -), the stronger the relationship
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23
Q

positive correlation

A
  • the variables move in the same direction (i.e. as one increases, the other increasese)
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24
Q

negative correlation

A
  • the variables move in opposite directions (e.g. as one goes down the other goes up)
25
Q

cause and effect

A
  • correlation is limited because establishing the existence of a relationship tells us little about
26
Q

confounding variable

A
  • when variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other
  • BUT some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest
27
Q

illusory correlations

A
  • when people believe that relationships exist between two things when no such relationship exists
  • aka false correlation
  • can be dangerous bc can enforce things like prejudice
28
Q

confirmation bias

A
  • tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports prior beliefs or values
29
Q

experimental group

A
  • group getting experimental manipulation (the treatment or variable being tested)
  • by only changing one thing we can determine what effect it has
30
Q

control group

A
  • the group where no variable is being modified
  • made to compare against experimental group
31
Q

operational definition

A
  • a precise description of our variables
  • important in allowing others to understand exactly how and what a researcher measures in a particular experiment
32
Q

experimenter bias

A
  • the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study
  • might combat this by not telling researcher groups when looking at data
33
Q

single-blind study

A
  • one of the groups are unaware which group they are in (experiment or control) while the researcher knows which participants are in each group
34
Q

double-blind study

A
  • both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments (control or exp.)
35
Q

placebo effect

A
  • occurs when people’s expectations or beliefs influence/determine their experience in a situation
36
Q

independent variable

A
  • variable manipulated or controlled by the experimenter
  • usually the only difference between both groups
37
Q

dependent variable

A
  • what the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had
38
Q

participants

A
  • the subjects of psychological research
  • usually college students (don’t rep. majority of population)
39
Q

random sample

A
  • a subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
  • helps results be generalized
40
Q

random assignment

A
  • all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group
41
Q

statistical analysis

A
  • conducted to find out if there are meaningful differences between the two groups
42
Q

peer-reviewed journal

A
  • aimed at an audience of professionals and scholars who are actively involved in research themselves
  • checked by experts for reasonability
43
Q

replicate

A
  • scientists can repeat the experiment using different samples to determine reliability
44
Q

reliability

A

the ability to consistently produce a given result

45
Q

validity

A

the extent to which a given instrument or tool accurately measures what it’s supposed to measure

46
Q

institutional review board (IRB)

A
  • a committee of individuals made up of members of the institution
  • reviews proposals for research that involves human participants
47
Q

informed consent

A

a written description of what participants can expect during the experiment, including potential risks and implications of the research

48
Q

deception

A
  • purposely misleading experiment participants to maintain the integrity of the experiment
  • deception can’t be harmful though
49
Q

debriefing

A
  • happens after studies where people were deceived
  • information about experiment’s purpose, data usage, why deception was used, and information about how to learn more about the study
50
Q

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

A
  • consists of institutional administrators
  • ensure that experimental proposals require the humane treatment of animal subjects / inspect facilities
51
Q

the only way to establish cause and effect relationships

A
  • conducting a scientific experiment (with precise requirements for design and experimentation)
52
Q

issues with experiments

A
  • can’t directly control for all variables
  • limited by ethical constraints
53
Q

replication “crisis”

A
  • some well-known studies have produced research that has failed to be replicated by others
  • part of this is there’s no glory in validating results
54
Q

experimenter effects

A

things we’re doing as a researcher that may affect the data results

55
Q

demand characteristics

A

certain type of behavior is assumed to be expected by the subject, altering the results

56
Q

rights of people in studies (4 things)

A
  • right to self esteem
  • right to informed consent
  • right to privacy
  • right to leave study at any time
57
Q

Milgram experiment

A

study that wanted to see if people will hurt others when authority tells them to (i.e. Nazis and holocaust)

58
Q

nature vs. nurture

A

To what extent are we products of our genes (nature) or our environment (nurture)

Psychology (15 decks)

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