Chapter 2 Terms

Question 1

Empiricism

Answer 1

The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation.

Question 2

Scientific Method

Answer 2

A procedure for finding truth by using empirical evidence.

Question 3

Empirical Method

Answer 3

A set of rules and techniques for observation.

Question 4

Theory

Answer 4

A hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomenon.

Question 5

Hypothesis

Answer 5

A falsifiable prediction made by a theory.

Question 6

Operational Definition

Answer 6

A description of a property in terms of some concrete, observable event.

Question 7

Validity

Answer 7

The extent to which a concrete, observable event indicates the property.

Question 8

Instrument

Answer 8

Anything that can detect he concrete, observable event to which an operational definition refers.

Question 9

Reliability

Answer 9

The tendency for an instrument to produce the same measurement every time it s used to measure the same thing.

Question 10

Power

Answer 10

An instrument’s ability to detect small magnitudes of a property.

Question 11

Demand Characteristics

Answer 11

The aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects.

Question 12

Naturalistic Observaton

Answer 12

A technique for gathering scientific information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments.

Question 13

Double-Blind Observation

Answer 13

A technique whose true purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed.

Question 14

Variable

Answer 14

A property whose value can vary across individuals or over time.

Question 15

Correlation

Answer 15

Two variables are said to “be correlated” when variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with variations in the value of the other.

Question 16

Natural Correlation

Answer 16

A correlation observed in the world around us.

Question 17

Third-Variable Correlation

Answer 17

Two variables are correlated not because one causes the other but because both are caused by a third variable.

Question 18

Experiment

Answer 18

A technique for discovering the casual relationship between variables.

Question 19

Manipulation

Answer 19

Changing a variable in order to determine its casual power.

Question 20

Independent Variable

Answer 20

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.

Question 21

Experimental Group

Answer 21

The group of participants who are exposed to a particular manipulation, compared with the control group, in an experiment.

Question 22

Control Group

Answer 22

The group of participants who are not exposed to the particular manipulation, compared with the experimental group, in an experiment.

Question 23

Dependent Variable

Answer 23

The variable that is measured in a study.

Question 24

Self-Selection

Answer 24

A problem that occurs when anything about a participants determines whether he or she will be included in the experimental group.

Question 25

Internal Validity

Answer 25

A attribute of a experiment that allows it to establish casual relationships.

Question 26

Random Assingment

Answer 26

A procedure by which participants are assigned to the experimental group or control group by chance alone.

Question 27

External Validity

Answer 27

An attribute of an experiment in which variables have been defined in a normal, typical, or realistic way.

Question 28

Population

Answer 28

A complete collection of people.

Question 29

Sample

Answer 29

A partial collection of people drawn from a population.

Question 30

Case Method

Answer 30

A procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single person.

Question 31

Random Sampling

Answer 31

A technique for choosing participants that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in he sample.

Question 32

Direct Replication

Answer 32

An experiment that uses the same procedures as a pervious experiment but with a new sample.

Question 33

Informed Consent

Answer 33

A written agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who has been informed of all the risks that participation may entail.

Question 34

Debriefing

Answer 34

A verbal description of the true nature and purpose of a study.