Chapter 2 - Research Enterprise in Psychology Key Terms

Question 1

personal stories about specific incidents and experiences

Answer 1

anecdotal evidence

Question 2

an in-depth investigation of an individual participant or group of participants.

Answer 2

Case study

Question 3

occurs when two variables are linked in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effects.

Answer 3

confounding of variables

Question 4

consists of similar participants who do not receive the special treatment given to the experimental group.

Answer 4

Control group

Question 5

exists when two variables are related to each other.

Answer 5

Correlation

Question 6

is a numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables.

Answer 6

Correlation coefficient

Question 7

procedures for making empirical observations and measurements.

Answer 7

data collection techniques

Question 8

is the variable that is thought to be affected by manipulation of the independent variable.

Answer 8

dependent variable

Question 9

used to organize and summarize data.

Answer 9

descriptive statistics

Question 10

is a research strategy in which neither participants nor experimenters know which participants are in the experimental or control groups.

Answer 10

double-blind procedure

Question 11

is a research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result.

Answer 11

experiment

Question 12

consists of the participants who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable.

Answer 12

experimental group

Question 13

occurs when a researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained

Answer 13

Experimenter bias

Question 14

are any variables other than the independent variable that seem likely to influence the dependent variable in a specific study.

Answer 14

extraneous variables

Question 15

a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Answer 15

hypothesis

Question 16

is a condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable

Answer 16

independent variable

Question 17

are used to interpret data and draw conclusions

Answer 17

inferential statistics

Question 18

is a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry.

Answer 18

journal

Question 19

is the arithmetic average of the scores in a distribution.

Answer 19

mean

Question 20

is the score that falls exactly in the centre of a distribution of scores.

Answer 20

median

Question 21

is the most frequent score in a distribution.

Answer 21

mode

Question 22

a researcher engages in careful observation of behaviour without intervening directly with the participants.

Answer 22

naturalistic observation

Question 23

is a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that represents the pattern in which many human characteristics are dispersed in the population.

Answer 23

normal distribution

Question 24

describes the actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable.

Answer 24

operational definition

Question 25

are the persons or animals whose behaviour is systematically observed in a study.

Answer 25

participants

Question 26

occur when participants’ expectations lead them to experience some change even though they receive empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment.

Answer 26

placebo effects

Question 27

is the much larger collection of animals or people (from which the sample is drawn) that researchers want to generalize about

Answer 27

population

Question 28

of participants occurs when all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any group or condition in the study.

Answer 28

random assignment

Question 29

occurs when a participant’s behaviour is altered by the presence of the observer.

Answer 29

Reactivity

Question 30

is the repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results are duplicated.

Answer 30

Replication

Question 31

consist of various approaches to the observation, measurement, manipulation, and control of variables in empirical studies.

Answer 31

research methods

Question 32

set is a tendency to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the content of the questions.

Answer 32

response set

Question 33

is the collection of participants selected for observation in an empirical study

Answer 33

Sample

Question 34

exists when a sample is not representative of the population from which it was drawn.

Answer 34

sampling bias

Question 35

a tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself.

Answer 35

social desirability bias

Question 36

is an index of the amount of variability in a set of data.

Answer 36

Standard deviation

Question 37

is the use of mathematics to organize, summarize, and interpret numerical data.

Answer 37

Statistics

Question 38

researchers use questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of participants’ behaviour.

Answer 38

Survey

Question 39

is a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations.

Answer 39

theory

Question 40

refers to how much the scores in a data set vary from each other and from the mean.

Answer 40

variability

Question 41

are any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviours that are controlled or observed in a study.

Answer 41

variable

Question 42

3 Goas of the Scientific Enterprise

Answer 42

• measurement and description
• understanding and prediction
• application and control

Question 43

5 stages in scientific investigation

Answer 43

1. form hypothesis
2. design the study
3. collect data
4. analyze data
5. report findings

Question 44

Observers are trained to watch and record behaviour as objectively and precisely as possible. They may use some instrumentation, such as a stopwatch or video recorder.

Technique

Answer 44

Direct observation

Question 45

Participants are administered a series of written questions designed to obtain information about attitudes, opinions, and specific aspects of their behaviour.

Technique

Answer 45

Questionnaire

Question 46

A face-to-face dialogue is conducted to obtain information about specific aspects of a participant’s behaviour.

Technique

Answer 46

Interview

Question 47

Participants are administered a standardized measure to obtain a sample of their behaviour. Tests are usually used to assess mental abilities or personality traits.

Technique

Answer 47

Psychological Test

Question 48

An instrument is used to monitor and record a specific physiological process in a participant. Examples include measures of blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and brain activity.

Data collection technique

Answer 48

Physiological/neural recording

Question 49

The researcher analyzes existing institutional records (the archives), such as census, economic, medical, legal, educational, and business records.

Data collection technique

Answer 49

Examination of archival records

Question 51

2 advantages of the scientific approach

Answer 51

1. Clarity / precision
2. Intolerance of error

More accurate / dependable

Question 52

1 Advantage of experimental research

Answer 52

Conclusions about cause-and-effect can be drawn

Question 53

3 dis

3 Disadvantages of Experimental research

Answer 53

1. artificial
2. practical issues
3. ethical concerns

Question 54

Disadvantage of case studies

Answer 54

Can be highly subjective

Question 55

when the probability that the observed finding are due to chance is very low

Answer 55

Statistical significance

Question 56

someone sees experimenter / subjects as someone who is important

distortions in seld reported data

Answer 56

Halo effect