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PSYC 200 > Chapter 2: Research Methodology > Flashcards

Chapter 2: Research Methodology Flashcards

1
Q

Five pillars of Psychology

A

biological, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, mental and physical health

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2
Q

what are the three goals of doing scientific research

A

description, explanation, predicting

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3
Q

operational definition

A

a standardized meaning for an abstract concept

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4
Q

why is the operational definition necessary

A

it makes sure that different researchers are talking about the same thing (measuring the same thing)

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5
Q

how did Bandura, Ross, and Ross (1961) measure aggression in children

A

by the number of times a child punched or hit a Bobo doll

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6
Q

social scientists are the only one’s who use operational definitions

A

false (natural scientists also operationalize their objects)

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7
Q

how do natural scientists use operational definitions

A

properties of an object can only be defined by thinking of an experiment that can measure them

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8
Q

when the bell is paired with food an animal will salivate to the bell after 10 trials is an example of

A

classical conditioning

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9
Q

operant conditioning and classical conditioning are under the branch of

A

behaviourism

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10
Q

workers will be more productive if they get a bonus after producing every 10 pieces of work is an example of

A

operant conditioning

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11
Q

explain a theory

A

an explanation or model of how a phenomenon works (explanation based on observation)

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12
Q

theory, hypothesis, research (in order t or f)

A

true

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13
Q

what are the two types of theory explanations

A

mechanistic explanation = how
functional explanation = why
or both

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14
Q

what is the role of a theory

A

to integrate unrelated facts and principles into a coherent whole

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15
Q

what are the 7 steps in scientific investigation

A
  1. pose a specific, testable research question
  2. educate yourself about what is already known about your theory
  3. formulate a testable hypothesis
  4. design a study select a research method
  5. conduct the study and collect the data
  6. analyze the data
  7. report the findings
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16
Q

whats the difference between a hypothesis and a theory

A

theory describes a general phenomenon whereas a hypothesis predicts a specific observation in a specific study

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17
Q

the hypothesis is a tentative statement because

A

the data might or might not support it

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18
Q

what are the three types of research methods

A

descriptive methods- describe what is occurring (observational studies, self reports, case studies)
correlational methods- test the relationship between factors
experimental methods - investigate what causes an outcome

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19
Q

what are the two major concepts when evaluating measures

A

reliability- does your instrument give you the same reading every time you use it to measure the same thing
validity - are you measuring what you intend to measure (how do you know)

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20
Q

reliability

A

consistency or dependability of behavioural data. reliable result will be repeated under similar conditions of testing at different times

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20
Q

what are the two types of reliability errors

A

random and systematic

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21
Q

random errors from an unreliable instrument (of inflation and deflation) will

A

balance themselves and sum to zero

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22
Q

the instrument is reliable but inaccurate

A

systematic error, which is either positive or negative direction consistently (bias the overall measurement)

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23
Q

do random errors affect the average

A

no, only the variability around the average (spreads the distribution out)

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24
Q

do systematic errors affect the average

A

yes, it shifts the central tendency of distribution (bias)

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25
Q

an accurate or precise measure produces results that

A

agree with a known standard

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25
Q

can an instrument be inaccurate but reliable

A

yes

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26
Q

construct validity

A

refers to the extent to which a measure of X truly measures X and not Y

27
Q

internal validity

A

an experiment with a high internal validity means that the change in the dependent variable is caused by the independent variable and not by the cofounding variables

28
Q

external validity

A

an experiment with high external validity means that the researcher can generalize the experimental findings to broader circumstances often from the lab to the real world

29
Q

observations made in a study of usually converted into numbers

A

true

30
Q

types of descriptive research

A
  • developmental studies (longitudinal, cross-sectional)
  • case study
  • correlational
  • normative
  • observational
  • action
  • ex post facto
  • survey
31
Q

what is a case study

A

the intensive observation, recording and description of an atypical person, organization or event

32
Q

correlational studies are used when

A

the researcher wants to determine to what extent two variables, traits, or attributes are related

33
Q

in a correlational study does the researcher control any variables?

A

no

34
Q

describe a positive correlation

A

diagonal going up to top right corner

35
Q

describe a negative correlation

A

top to bottom diagonal

36
Q

describe an almost (no relation)

A

horizontal linear line (points scattered)

37
Q

correlation coefficient aka Pearson’s R indicates what

A

the strength of the correlation

38
Q

what is the range of Pearson’s R, how does the scale work (what does it mean)

A

-1 to 1. -1 is a perfect negative correlation while 1 is a perfect positive correlation (between x and y). 0 means no correlation

39
Q

when a correlation is perfect the prediction is how accurate

A

100% accurate

40
Q

explain what strength each R-value indicate

A

1= perfect
0.8 to 0.99= very strong
0.6 to 0.8= strong
0.4 to 0.6 moderate
0.2 to 0.4 weak
0 to 0.2= very weak

41
Q

what is the boiler plate for explaining the observed relationship

A

as x (increases/decreases), y (increases r decreases) showing a (positive/negative) relationship

42
Q

when there are three potential explanations for a phenomena how do you find out which one is correct?

A

do an experiment
- manipulate the independent variable
- keep the third variable (also called the extraneous variable or confounding variable) at a constant level
- measure the dependent variable (Y)

43
Q

which is the variable that is measured in a study

A

dependent

44
Q

explain within-subject design

A

uses a before-after
- also called repeated measures design
- uses a study within one group
- random sample

45
Q

explain a between-subjects design

A

two random sample design
- large sample size
- random assignment of participants to experimental and control groups

46
Q

what is the experimental method

A

casual relationship
- investigate what causes an outcome
-Investigate the CAUSE

47
Q

in a drug test the control group is called

A

the placebo group

48
Q

if the source of the confound is from some environmental factors that systematically change from one group to another (or one time to another) then it cannot be eliminated with a large sample size and random assignment. what is the solution

A

using a mixed design

49
Q

does correlation imply causation

A

No

50
Q

correlational studies examine…

A

how variables are naturally related in the real world

51
Q

do correlational studies determine causal relationships

A

no

52
Q

correlational studies are used to explain the cause of behaviour (t or f)

A

false

53
Q

experimental studies goals

A

description, explanation and prediction

54
Q

experimental studies can make causal claims (t or f)

A

true

55
Q

what is error variance

A

variation within a group

56
Q

is it easier or more difficult to observe an experiment when their is a large error variance between groups

A

more difficult

57
Q

how do you conclude results when there is high error variance between groups

A

sampling and inferencing
(draw a sample from the population) measure some attributes in the sample, generalize and describe to the target population

58
Q

in what case would generalization to the population be inaccurate

A

when the sample is biased

59
Q

what follows under descriptive statistics

A

measures of central tendency (mean median mode), measures of dispersion (range, standard deviation)

60
Q

structure of an academic article

A

literature review
method
participants
materials
procedure
results (graph and verbal)
discussion (evaluation of the study)

61
Q

descriptive statistics allows us to draw conclusions through the use of

A

graphs

62
Q

inferential statistics are a useful tool because

A

they help us say whether a difference is significant

63
Q

when standard deviation error bars on a graph overlap quite a bit (close in height) it is a clue that

A

the difference is not statistically significant (however you must actually perform a test to draw a conclusion)

64
Q

when the standard deviation error bars on a graph overlap even less its a clue that

A

the difference is probably not statistically significant (however you must perform a test for a real conclusion)

65
Q

when the standard deviation error bars do not overlap on a graph its a clue that

A

the difference may be significant but you cannot be sure until you perform a test

66
Q

what does the t-test tell us

A

how significant the difference between two group means

67
Q

the bigger the t ratio indicates

A

the more significant the test is

PSYC 200 (15 decks)

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