Chapter 2 - Research Methods Flashcards
Name the three characteristics of an experiment
manipulates one or more variables
measures whether manipulation influences other variables
tries to control outside factors that might influence outcome
what is the independent and dependent variable
Independent- the variable manipulated
Dependent - The variable measured, and effected by independent variable
what is a control group
group not exposed to treatment- no independent variable
what is between groups design in an experiment
every participant experiences only one condition, and you compare group differences between participants in various conditions.
It’s the opposite of a within-subjects design, where every participant experiences every condition
what is between subjects design in an experiment
participants are exposed to all conditions
what is counterbalancing in experiments
when the order of conditions is varied so no conditions has an advantage over others
what is validity
how well an experiment tests what its meant to test
what is a confounding variable
when two variables mix together and you cant tell which one effected the dependent variable
what is the placebo effect
a substance with no pharmalogical effect
what is the experimenter expectancy effect
when an experimenter subtly, unintentionally influences participant which causes them to act in a consistent manner to the hypothesis
what is the double-blind procedure
when the participant and experimenter are blind to which experimental conditions the participant is in - helps combat the experimenter expectancy effect
what is internal validity
degree to which an experiment supports clear, true conclusions
what is external validity
the degree to which results can be generalized
what is meta analysis
combining results of two experiments on the same topic to test the significance of findings
what are the steps to the scientific process
- identify a question
- gather info to form a hypothesis
- test by conducting research
- analyze data and report findings
- build on it - conduct more research, challenge findings, make theories
what is a hypothesis
tentative statement about a relation between two events
what are operational definitions
defines a variable in terms of specific procedures used to produces or measure it - translate abstract into something measurable
what is social desirability bias
responding in a socially acceptable way
what is representative sampling
in a survey research, the equal representation of the populations important traits
what is correlational research
measure x, measure y, determine relationship between them
how can we determine cause and effect
The cause must occur before the effect. Whenever the cause occurs, the effect must also occur. There must not be another factor that can explain the relationship between the cause and effect
what is bidirectionality
when there is no way of telling what variable influenced what variable
whats the third variable problem
results may be caused by a third variable
what does a positive or negative correlation indicate between two variables
a positive correlation means when one score goes up so does the other, and a negative one means when one score goes up the other goes down
Why is it important to use a random sample?
Helps eliminate the researchers unconscious bias whilst choosing subjects
What are the strengths and limitations (weaknesses) of a case study?
Strength- can provide personal and in depth information on topic, specifically in a case of rare phenomenon
What is the meaning of a correlation of -0.86?
It tells us that there is a negative correlation. the higher x scores, the lower y scores. And that there is a strong relation between x and y due to hoe close the number is to -1
What is the mode?
the most frequently occurring number found in a set of numbers.
What is the median?
the middle number in a sorted list of numbers; the line that separates the lower half and the upper half of the scores
What are the 3 measures of variability?
range, variance, and standard deviation of scores.
What are the characteristics of the normal distribution?
symmetric, unimodal, and asymptotic
What is the standard deviation?
measure of how far each observed value is from the mean
what is a representative sample
A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the society. EG. Not choosing a majoritarily male sample group
Why is it important to use a random sample?
Helps eliminate the researchers unconscious bias whilst choosing subjects
What is the meaning of a correlation of -0.86?
It tells us that there is a negative correlation. the higher x scores, the lower y scores. And that there is a strong relation between x and y due to hoe close the number is to -1
How do we determine cause and effect in a study?
The cause must occur before the effect.
Whenever the cause occurs, the effect must also occur.
There must not be another factor that can explain the relationship between the cause and effect
what constitutes a good theory?
must have testable hypotheses
compare freud’s psychodynamic theory and the behaviorist theory.
which is a better theory
because the behaviorist theory can be tested, it is better.
how tf would you measure the id, the ego and the super ego? the psychodynamic theory is not testable
the behaviorist theory can be tested; you can observe peoples responses to reward or punishments and see what happens
therefore it is testable
dr.mike is studying test scores and smoking weed before students take an exam. some students are told to hit da dutchie, others raw dog the exam sober. he then measures the test scores.
what is the independent variable and dependent variable in this study
independent - the students sobriety
dependent - the test scores
eastyn is running an experiment testing to see what kind of cake mireille likes the most. she gives her three different flavors.
what she doesn’t realize is that mireille smoked weed before eating the vanilla cake.
she says vanilla slaps and picks that one
what is happening here
her experiment is confounded because theres an external variable (kush) causing her to like vanilla more
eastyn is running an experiment. she is trying to see if stefon diggs is funny or just hot. she does this by hiding in his closet and observing the reaction of women laughing at his jokes; as well as if the joke is actually funny.
what type of research method is she using?
case study
observational, non participant
eastyn is running an experiment. she is testing the relationship between the amount of time people spend watching tv, and grades. she doesnt manipulate either of the variables
what method is this
a correlational method
determining the degree of relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them
eastyn is running an experiment. she is testing the effect of vitamin b12 deprivation on maze learning in rats. she is trying to identify a causal relationship
what is the independent variable, what is the dependent variable?
what type of method is she most likely using
vitamin b12 - independent
maze running - dependent
an experimental method - you need to run an experiment to identify causal relationships
