Chapter 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically Flashcards
5 steps in the scientific process
1) IDENTIFY a question of interest
2) GATHER information and FORM hypothesis
3) TEST hypothesis by conducting research
4) ANALYSE data, draw conclusions and REPORT
5) BUILD a body of knowledge, ask further questions, conduct more research
Name 3 characteristics of good theories
- incorporates existing facts and observations and organizes info in a meaningful way
- is testable
- conforms to the law of PARSIMONY - if 2 theories can explain and predict the same phenomenon equally well, the simpler theory is the preferred one
Law of parsimony
if 2 therories can explain and prdict the sme phenomenon equally well, the simpler thery is the preferred one
variable
any factor or characteristic that can vary - ex. hair colour, height
operational definition
they translate abstract concepts into something observable and measureable
social desieability bias
the tendency to respond in a socially acceptable manner rather than according to how one truly feels or behaves
reaction time
how rapidly one responds to a stimulus
reliable
consistent observations
archival measures
records or documents that already exist
methods of research
- descriptive research
- case study
descriptive research
seeks to identify how humans and other animals behave, particularly in natural setting
case study
an in-depth analysis for an individual, a group or an event
advantages of case study
when a rare phenomenon occurs, the method enables scientist to study it closely
naturalistic observation
the researcher observes behaviors as it occurs in a natural setting
population
consists of all the individuals about whom we are interested in drawing a conclusion
sample
a subset of individuals drawn from the larger population of interest
representative sample
one that reflects the important characteristics of the population
random sampling
every member of the population has an equal probability of being chosen to participate in the survey
correlational research
a study to determine the relationship among two or more variables without any attempt to influence them. Involves measuring variables, NOT manipulating them
3 components to correlational research
1) the researcher measures one variable (x) such as people’s birth order
2) researcher measures a second variable (y) such as a personality trait
3) researcher statistically determines whether x and y are related
correlational coefficient
a statistic that indicates the strength of the relation between two variables. Variables can be correlated either positively or negatively
positive correlation
means that higher scores on one variable are associate with higher scores on a second variable - e.g., positive correlation between social relationships and happiness
negative correlation
occurs when higher scores on one variable are associate with lower scores on a second variable - e.g., job satisfaction and turnover meaning the workers who are more satisfied with jobs have lower rates of turnover
experiment - 3 essential characteristics
1) researcher manipulates one or more variables
2) researcher measures whether this manipulation influence other variables
3) researcher attempts to control extraneous factors that might influence the outcome
independent variable
usually the x axis - refers to the factor that is manipulated or controlled by the experimenter
control group
purpose is to provide a standard of behaviour to which the experimental group can be compared.
dependent variable
factor that is measured by the experimenter and that may be influenced by the independent variable - usually the y axis
experimental group
group that receives a treatment or an active level of the independent variable
between groups experiment design
common experimental design where each group int he experiment is composed of a different set of participants
random assignments
a procedure in which each particpat has equal likelhood of being assigned to any one group within an experiment
repeated measures design
in this design, each participant is exposed to all the conditions on an independent variable
counterbalancing
a procedure in which the order of conditions is varied so that no condition has an overall advantage relative of the others
validity
refers to how well an experimental procedure actually tests what it is designed to test
internal validity
represents the degree to which an experiment supports clear causal conditions
confounding of variables
two variables are intertwined in such a way that we cannot determine which one has influenced a dependent variable
placebo effect
people receiving a treatment show a change in behaviour because of their expectations, not because the treatment itself had any specific benefit
- placebo effect weakens internal validity
experimenter expectancy effects
the subtle and unintentional ways researchers influence their participants to respond in a manner that is consistent with the researcher’s hypothesis
double blind procedure
procedure in which both the participant and the experimenter are kept blind as to which experimental condition the participant is in
external validity
the degree to which the results of a study can be generated to other populations, settings and conditions
replication
the process of repeating a study to determine whether the original findings can be duplicated
meta-analysis
a statistical procedure for combining the results of different studies that examine the same topic to test the overall significance of the findings
cross-cultural replication
examining whether findings generalize across different countries
incomplete disclosure/deception
occurs when participants are mixed about the nature of a study
debriefed
told the true purpose of the study at the end of the experiment
