Chapter 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically

Question 1

The 7 steps in the scientific process

Answer 1

1. Initial observation or question (curiosity)
2. Gathering information and forming a hypothesis
3. Testing the hypothesis (conducting research)
4. Analyse data, draw tentative conclusion
5. Report findings
6. Further research and theory building
7. New hypothesis derived from theory

Question 2

Variable

Answer 2

Any characteristic or factor that may vary

Question 3

Operational definition

Answer 3

Defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce or measure it

Question 4

Social desirability bias (in self reports and reports by others)

Answer 4

The tendency to respond in a socially acceptable manner instead of how you truly feel or behave

Question 5

Unobtrusive measures

Answer 5

Records behavior in a way that keeps participants unaware that they are being observed

Question 6

Archival measure

Answer 6

Record or document that already exists

Question 7

Informed consent

Answer 7

Study subjects should be informed about:

• Study purpose and procedures
• Study potential risks and benefits
• the right to decline or withdraw at any point
• confidential responses or not
• if not, how privacy will be safeguarded

Question 8

Descriptive research

Answer 8

Seeks to identify behavior of humans and animals, especially in natural settings

Question 9

Case study

Answer 9

In depth analysis of an individual, group or event (Glenn-Kenneth)

Question 10

Naturalistic observation

Answer 10

The researcher observes behavior as it occurs in a natural setting

Question 11

Survey research

Answer 11

Information about a topic is obtained by questionnaires or interviews to many people

Question 12

Population

Answer 12

The individuals we are interested in drawing a conclusion about

Question 13

Sample

Answer 13

A subset of individuals drawn from the larger population

Question 14

Representative sample

Answer 14

Reflects the important characteristics of the population

Question 15

Correlational research

Answer 15

Measures one variable (x), measures a second variable (y), and statistically determines whether they are related

Question 16

Correlation coefficient

Answer 16

A statistic that indicates the direction and strength of the relation between two variables

Question 17

Positive corrrelation

Answer 17

Higher scores on one variable are associated with higher scores on a second variable

Question 18

Negative correlation

Answer 18

Higher scores on one variable are associated with lower scores on a second variable

Question 19

Scatterplots

Answer 19

Graphs that show the correlation between two variables

Question 20

Independent (predictor) variable

Answer 20

The factor that is manipulated by the experimenter

Question 21

Dependent (response, output, outcome) variable

Answer 21

The factor that is measured by the experimenter and may be influenced by the independent variable

Question 22

Experimental group

Answer 22

The group that receives a treatment or an active level of the independent variable

Question 23

Control group

Answer 23

Is not exposed to the treatment or receives a zero level of the independent variable

Question 24

Random assignment

Answer 24

Procedure in which each participant has an equal likelihood to be assigned to any one group within the experiment

Question 25

Counterbalancing

Answer 25

Procedure in which the order of conditions is varied so that no condition has an overall advantage relative to the others

Question 26

Internal validity

Answer 26

The degree to which an experiment supports clear casual conclusions

Question 27

Confounding of variables

Answer 27

Two variables are intertwined in such a way that we cannot determine which one has affected a dependent variable

Question 28

Demand characteristics

Answer 28

Cues that participants pick up about the hypothesis of a study or about how they are supposed to behave

Question 29

Experimenter expectancy effects

Answer 29

Subtle and unintentional ways researchers influence their participants to respond according to the hypothesis

Question 30

Double-blind procedure

Answer 30

Both experimenter and participant are kept blind as to which condition the participant is kept in

Question 31

External validity

Answer 31

The degree to which the results of a study can b generalized to other populations, settings and conditions

Question 32

Replication

Answer 32

Repeating a study to find out if the original results can be duplicated

Question 33

Descriptive statistics

Answer 33

Allow us to summarize and describe the characteristics of a set (or distribution) of data

Question 34

Mode

Answer 34

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution

Question 35

Median

Answer 35

The point that divides a distribution of scores in half when those scores are arranged in order from lowest to highest

Question 36

Mean

Answer 36

The arithmetic average of a set of scores

Question 37

Range

Answer 37

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Question 38

Standard deviation

Answer 38

Takes into account how much each score in a distribution differs from the mean

Question 39

Inferential statistics

Answer 39

Allow us to make inferences about a population from data provided by a sample of that distribution

Question 40

Statistical significance

Answer 40

It is very unlikely that a particular finding occurred by chance alone

Question 41

Meta-analysis

Answer 41

A statistical procedure for combining the results of different studies that examine the same topic