Chapter 2 - Psychological Research Flashcards
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
2
Q
opinions
A
- research makes the difference between facts and opinions
- personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may be accurate
3
Q
facts
A
- research makes the difference between facts and opinions
- observable realities
4
Q
deductive reasoning
A
- when ideas are tested in the real world
- part of the scientific method, ongoing cycle of wonder and test
5
Q
inductive reasoning
A
- when real world observations lead to new ideas
- part of the scientific method, ongoing cycle of wonder and test
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
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
8
Q
falsifiable
A
- capable of being shown to be incorrect
- allows hypotheses to be testable and allows for confidence it results it produces
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
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
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
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
13
Q
inter-rater reliability
A
- a measure of reliability that assesses the consistency of observations by different observers
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
15
Q
sample
A
- a subset of individuals studied that represent a larger population
16
Q
population
A
- the overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in
- observe a smaller representative sample to do this
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
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
19
Q
cross-sectional research
A
- a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time
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
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
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
23
Q
positive correlation
A
- the variables move in the same direction (i.e. as one increases, the other increasese)