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Psychology > Chapter 2 Vocab - research methods > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Vocab - research methods Flashcards

1
Q

Applied Research

A

type of research that attempts to find practical solutions

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2
Q

Basic research

A

theoretical research mean to increase our scientific knowledge base

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3
Q

Bimodal distribution

A

when data has 2 modes or clusters

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4
Q

Case study

A

an in-depth investigation of an individual subject

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5
Q

Confidentiality

A

information between a patient and a therapist or doctor, cannot be shared, ethical guidelines

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6
Q

Confounding variables

A

unexpected factors that affect your study

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7
Q

Controls

A

a person’s ability/perception of their ability to affect themselves and their environment

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8
Q

Control group

A

no special treatment or manipulation of the tested independent variable, similar subjects to experimental group

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9
Q

Correlation coefficient

A

a numerical index of the degree of relationship between 2 variables

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10
Q

Correlation

A

exists when 2 variables are related to each other

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11
Q

Critical thinking

A

reasoning that does not blindly accept arguments

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12
Q

Debriefing

A

telling participants all the details of the experiment and offering support

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13
Q

dependent variable

A

the variable that is thought to be affected by manipulation of the independent variable

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14
Q

descriptive statistics

A

analyze data to help describe, show, or summarize in a meaningful way

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15
Q

Double-blind study

A

participants and researcher don’t know who gets placebo and who gets real drug

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16
Q

Experiment

A

a research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under control conditions and observes any changes

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17
Q

Experimental group

A

special treatment, manipulation of independent variable to see effects

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18
Q

Experimental effect

A

tendency of an experimenter to influence the participants or interpret the data

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19
Q

Experimenter bias

A

when the researcher interferes with true results of the a study

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20
Q

hindsight bias

A

the tendency to mold one’s interpretation of the past to fit how events actually happened “i knew it all along”

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21
Q

frequency distribution

A

chart

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22
Q

Hawthorne effect

A

if people know they are being observed or studied, they don’t act naturally

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23
Q

Histogram

A

bars touch, displays numbers

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24
Q

Hypothesis

A

a tentative statement about the relationship between 2 or more variables

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25
independent variable
a condition/event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable
26
inferential statistics
used to interpret data and draw conclusions, allows researchers to see if their data supports their hypothesis
27
Informed consent
researchers working with humans need to obtain their consent to participate in an experiment
28
Line of best fit
a straight line that best fits data points on a graph
29
Mean
the average
30
Measure of central tendency
a category of averages, numbers tend to bunch near the middle
31
Measures of variability
summary statistic that represents the amount of dispersion in a dataset
32
Median
the middle data point
33
Mode
the data value that occurs the most in the set
34
naturalistic observation
when a researcher engages in careful observation of behavior without interfering directly with the subjects
35
Negative skew
scores piles up at the high end of the scale (skew left)
36
Normal curve
bell shaped distribution, frequency occurrence of many natural phenomena
37
Observer bias
researcher’s expectation about their research study
38
Observer effect
the recognition that researchers are interacting with the system and changing the phenomena being studied
39
Operational definition
describes the actions/operations that will be used to measure or control a variable
40
Outliers
values in the data that are very far from the others
41
P-value
probability value, how likely your data would’ve occurred differently
42
Participant bias
tendency of participants in an experiment to subconsciously/consciously act in a way they think the researcher wants them to act
43
Participant observation
the persons/animals whose behavior is systematically observed in a study
44
Placebo effect
mind’s ability to affect bodily processes
45
Polygon
a graph depicting a statistical distribution, made up of lines connecting peaks of adjacent intervals
46
Population
a whole group, too large to study, denoted with a N
47
Positive skew
scores pile up at the low end of the scale, skewed right
48
Random assignment
occurs when all subjects have an equal chance of being assigned to any group or condition in a study
49
Range
the difference between the highest and lowest score in a dataset
50
Reliability
the measurement consistency of a test, yield similar scores from repetition
51
Replicate
repeating an experiment to see whether the same results are obtained
52
Representative sample
a group that closely matches the characteristics of its population as a whole
53
Sampling
the process of selecting for a study a limited number of units from a larger set
54
Sampling error
differences between results from an experiment to actual results from the population
55
Scatter plot
a picture of where data falls across 2 variables, graphic representation of a correlation
56
Scientific method
standardized way of making observations, gathering data, forming theories
57
Significant difference
between 2 groups and is the probability of obtaining the difference by chance, small
58
Single-blind study
research technique where subjects don’t know if they are part of the experimental group or control group
59
Skew distribution
not symmetrical
60
Standard deviation
average difference between each score and the mean
61
Statistical significance
using statistics to analyze their data and to decide whether their hypothesis is supported or not
62
Survey
questionnaire
62
T-test
compares the means of two sets of data
63
Theory
a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations
64
Validity
the ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure or test
65
Variability
low → all scores are close together, high → scores are spread out

Psychology (20 decks)

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