Chapter 2 - Psychological Research Methods and Statistics

Question 1

Sample

Answer 1

The small group of participants, out of the total number available, that a researcher studies

Question 2

Case Study

Answer 2

Research method that involves an intensive investigation of one or more participants

Question 3

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 3

Research method in which the psychologist observes the subject in a natural setting without interfering

Question 4

Longitudinal Study

Answer 4

Research method in which data are collected about a group of participants over a number of years to assess how certain characteristics change or remain the same during development

Question 5

Cross-sectional Study

Answer 5

Research method in which data are collected from groups of participants of different ages and compared so that conclusions can be drawn about differences due to age

Question 6

Correlation

Answer 6

The measure of a relationship between two variables or sets of data

Question 7

Survey

Answer 7

Research method in which information is obtained by asking many individuals a fixed set of questions

Question 8

Hypothesis

Answer 8

An educated guess about the relationship between two variables

Question 9

Variable

Answer 9

Any factor that is capable of change

Question 10

Experimental Group

Answer 10

The group to which an independent variable is applied

Question 11

Control group

Answer 11

The group that is treated in the same way as the experimental group except that the experimental treatment (the independent variable) is not applied.

Question 12

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 12

A situation in which a researcher’s expectations influence that person’s own behavior, and thereby influence the participant’s behavior.

Question 13

Single-blind experiment

Answer 13

An experiment in which the participants are unaware of which participants received the treatment

Question 14

Double-blind experiment

Answer 14

An experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which participants received which treatment

Question 15

Placebo Effect

Answer 15

A change in a participant’s illness or behavior that results from a belief that the treatment will have an effect rather than from the actual treatment.

Question 16

Statistics

Answer 16

The branch of mathematics concerned with summarizing and making meaningful inferences from collections of data

Question 17

Descriptive Statistics

Answer 17

The listing and summarizing of data in a practical, efficient way

Question 18

Frequency Distribution

Answer 18

An arrangement of data that indicates how often a particular score or observation occurs

Question 19

Normal curve

Answer 19

A graph of frequency distribution sharpies like a symmetrical, Bell-shaped curve; a graph of normally distributed data

Question 20

Central Tendency

Answer 20

A number that describes something about the “average” score of a distribution

Question 21

Variability

Answer 21

A measure of differences or spread of data

Question 22

Standard deviation

Answer 22

A measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean

Question 23

Correlation coefficient

Answer 23

Describes the direction an strength of the relationship between two sets of variables

Question 24

Inferential statistics

Answer 24

Numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance