Chapter 2: Research Methodology

Question 1

Five pillars of Psychology

Answer 1

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

Question 2

what are the three goals of doing scientific research

Answer 2

description, explanation, predicting

Question 3

operational definition

Answer 3

a standardized meaning for an abstract concept

Question 4

why is the operational definition necessary

Answer 4

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

Question 5

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

Answer 5

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

Question 6

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

Answer 6

false (natural scientists also operationalize their objects)

Question 7

how do natural scientists use operational definitions

Answer 7

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

Question 8

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

Answer 8

classical conditioning

Question 9

operant conditioning and classical conditioning are under the branch of

Answer 9

behaviourism

Question 10

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

Answer 10

operant conditioning

Question 11

explain a theory

Answer 11

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

Question 12

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

Answer 12

true

Question 13

what are the two types of theory explanations

Answer 13

mechanistic explanation = how
functional explanation = why
or both

Question 14

what is the role of a theory

Answer 14

to integrate unrelated facts and principles into a coherent whole

Question 15

what are the 7 steps in scientific investigation

Answer 15

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

Question 16

whats the difference between a hypothesis and a theory

Answer 16

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

Question 17

the hypothesis is a tentative statement because

Answer 17

the data might or might not support it

Question 18

what are the three types of research methods

Answer 18

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

Question 19

what are the two major concepts when evaluating measures

Answer 19

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)

Question 20

reliability

Answer 20

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

Question 20

what are the two types of reliability errors

Answer 20

random and systematic

Question 21

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

Answer 21

balance themselves and sum to zero

Question 22

the instrument is reliable but inaccurate

Answer 22

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

Question 23

do random errors affect the average

Answer 23

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

Question 24

do systematic errors affect the average

Answer 24

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

Question 25

an accurate or precise measure produces results that

Answer 25

agree with a known standard

Question 25

can an instrument be inaccurate but reliable

Answer 25

yes

Question 26

construct validity

Answer 26

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

Question 27

internal validity

Answer 27

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

Question 28

external validity

Answer 28

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

Question 29

observations made in a study of usually converted into numbers

Answer 29

true

Question 30

types of descriptive research

Answer 30

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

Question 31

what is a case study

Answer 31

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

Question 32

correlational studies are used when

Answer 32

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

Question 33

in a correlational study does the researcher control any variables?

Answer 33

no

Question 34

describe a positive correlation

Answer 34

diagonal going up to top right corner

Question 35

describe a negative correlation

Answer 35

top to bottom diagonal

Question 36

describe an almost (no relation)

Answer 36

horizontal linear line (points scattered)

Question 37

correlation coefficient aka Pearson's R indicates what

Answer 37

the strength of the correlation

Question 38

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

Answer 38

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

Question 39

when a correlation is perfect the prediction is how accurate

Answer 39

100% accurate

Question 40

explain what strength each R-value indicate

Answer 40

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

Question 41

what is the boiler plate for explaining the observed relationship

Answer 41

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

Question 42

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

Answer 42

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)

Question 43

which is the variable that is measured in a study

Answer 43

dependent

Question 44

explain within-subject design

Answer 44

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

Question 45

explain a between-subjects design

Answer 45

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

Question 46

what is the experimental method

Answer 46

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

Question 47

in a drug test the control group is called

Answer 47

the placebo group

Question 48

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

Answer 48

using a mixed design

Question 49

does correlation imply causation

Answer 49

No

Question 50

correlational studies examine...

Answer 50

how variables are naturally related in the real world

Question 51

do correlational studies determine causal relationships

Answer 51

no

Question 52

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

Answer 52

false

Question 53

experimental studies goals

Answer 53

description, explanation and prediction

Question 54

experimental studies can make causal claims (t or f)

Answer 54

true

Question 55

what is error variance

Answer 55

variation within a group

Question 56

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

Answer 56

more difficult

Question 57

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

Answer 57

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

Question 58

in what case would generalization to the population be inaccurate

Answer 58

when the sample is biased

Question 59

what follows under descriptive statistics

Answer 59

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

Question 60

structure of an academic article

Answer 60

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

Question 61

descriptive statistics allows us to draw conclusions through the use of

Answer 61

graphs

Question 62

inferential statistics are a useful tool because

Answer 62

they help us say whether a difference is significant

Question 63

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

Answer 63

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

Question 64

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

Answer 64

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

Question 65

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

Answer 65

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

Question 66

what does the t-test tell us

Answer 66

how significant the difference between two group means

Question 67

the bigger the t ratio indicates

Answer 67

the more significant the test is