CHAPTER 2 research methods Flashcards
empirical
the belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired from observation
scientific method
a procedure for finding the truth by using empirical evidence
theory
a hypothetical explanation of natural phenomenon
hypothesis
a FALSIFIABLE prediction made by a theory
consistency
theories can never be proved certain but your observations can be CONSISTENT with your hypothesis
empirical method
a set of rules and techniques used for observation
What are the three things that make humans difficult to study?
complexity: the human brain is so complex that we can’t even begin to fully describe how it works
variability: no two individuals act in the same manor
Reactivity: people can act differently when their know they are being observed versus when that are not
operational definition
description of a property in concrete, measurable terms
validity
the goodness with which a concrete event defines a property
reliability
tendency for an instrument to produce the same measurement whenever it is used to measure the same thing
power
an instrument’s ability to detect differences or changes in the property
demand characteristics
aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects
naturalistic observation
unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments
observer bias
expectations can influence observations, expectations can influence reality
Double-blind observation
to avoid observer bias an observation whose true purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed
third- variable correlation
two variables are correlated only because each is causally related to a third variable ex. children that play violent video games are more likely to be aggressive. one may not be the cause of the other, rather poor supervision is the cause of both therefore correlating the two
third- variable problem
causal relationships between two variables cannot be inferred from the naturally occurring correlation between them because there is always a possibility of a third variable
Experiment
a technique for establishing the causal relationship between two variables
manipulation
changing a variable in order to determine is causal power ex. when you manipulate instead of measure the variable you know that there is no third variable
self-selection
problem that occurs when anything about a person determines whether he or she will be included in the experimental or control group
random assignment
a procedure that lets chance assign people to experimental or control groups
internal validity
an attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships everything inside the experiment is working just as it need to
external validity
an attribute of an experiment in which variables have been defined in a normal, typical, or realistic way
A ____ _____ is ______ of a population
random sample is representative of a population `
