Chapter 2 - Research Methods Flashcards by Mireille Giroux

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

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what is the independent and dependent variable

Independent- the variable manipulated
Dependent - The variable measured, and effected by independent variable

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what is a control group

group not exposed to treatment- no independent variable

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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

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what is between subjects design in an experiment

participants are exposed to all conditions

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what is counterbalancing in experiments

when the order of conditions is varied so no conditions has an advantage over others

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what is validity

how well an experiment tests what its meant to test

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what is a confounding variable

when two variables mix together and you cant tell which one effected the dependent variable

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what is the placebo effect

a substance with no pharmalogical effect

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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

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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

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what is internal validity

degree to which an experiment supports clear, true conclusions

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what is external validity

the degree to which results can be generalized

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what is meta analysis

combining results of two experiments on the same topic to test the significance of findings

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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

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what is a hypothesis

tentative statement about a relation between two events

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what are operational definitions

defines a variable in terms of specific procedures used to produces or measure it - translate abstract into something measurable

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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