Chapter 3 Flashcards
what are the two types of research and how are they similar?
basic and applied; they both use the scientific method
define basic research
answers fundamental questions about behaviour
define applied research
investigates issues that have implications for everyday life; provides solutions to every day problems
what is the scientific method?
a set of assumptions, rules and procedures scientists use to conduct research
what are the 3 elements of the scientific method?
empirical, objective and replicable
what is the empirical element to the scientific method?
the study is based on systematic collection and analysis of data
what does it mean when the scientific method is objective?
free of personal biases or emotions of the scientists
what does it mean for something to be replicable?
you are able to repeat, add to and modify your findings
why are empiricism, being objective and replication important to the scientific method?
all are used when creating theories and hypotheses; in an ideal world all are present in research
define theory
a prediction of observed relationships within a given domain of inquiry
what are characteristics of a good theory?
they are general, parsimonious, and falsifiable
define what it means for a theory to be parsimonious
they provide the simplest explanation regarding the hypothesis
define what it means for a theory to be falsifiable
predictions can be made and measured to be correct or incorrect
why is it good for a theory to be general?
it can be applied to many different outcomes
they are general, parsimonious, and falsifiable…these are all characteristics of what?
a good theory
they provide the simplest explanation regarding the hypothesis..this is referring to what?
a theory is parsimonious
what does it mean to develop a testable hypothesis?
your predication has to be falsifiable, have measurable concepts and ideas, quantifiable variables and must explain valid and appropriate methods of testing
a testable hypothesis is what?
an attribute that can assume different values
a testable hypothesis requires what?
an operational definition of key concepts
what is an operational definition of key concepts?
specifies the operations of observing and measuring what you would like to study and a statement of how you are going to measure your idea (theory)
what is absolutely mandatory in research?
falsifiability
falsifiability is vital to research, why?
there must be a chance the hypothesis can be proven false
what are the 3 research designs?
descriptive, correlational and experiments
define what a descriptive study is
a snapshot of current affairs
*case study, observational study, qualitative study, survey
case study, observational study, qualitative study and surveys are all examples of what?
descriptive studies
define what a correlational study is
finding whether there is a large relationship, very little relationship or no relationship between two variables
define what an experiment is
manipulating one thing to see if it changes another thing
manipulating one thing to see if it changes another thing is called what?
an experiment
finding whether there is a large relationship, very little relationship or no relationship between two variables is referred to as what kind of study?
correlational
what is a descriptive method in psychology?
a way for researchers to understand behaviour without manipulating variables or establishing cause and effect relationships
**focuses on observing, recording and analyzing things as they naturally occur
define case study
focuses in depth and gives a lot of details regarding a person or small group of people
where is a case study a good method of research to use?
-studying rare cases
-when you want a lot of detailed info
-insight into unethical circumstances
-gives clinical insight
-good choice for studying over long periods of time
where is a case study a weak method of research to use
-cannot be generalized as everyone and every situation is different
-risk of observer bias (interpreting data subjectively)
-can take a lot of time to gather information
-don’t establish cause/effect relationships
what is an observational study?
watching and recording behaviours without trying to change or influence them; the goal is to understand how things naturally occur
define naturalistic observation
real world settings, high chance of validity as it is in a natural environment; some researchers try to prevent being observed themselves in their studies
define laboratory observation
more control over the environment, participants are not necessarily always aware they are being observed, may be some interference
what are some strengths of observational studies?
-provide insights into behaviours in natural settings (more applicable to everyday life)
-they can be adapted to any environment and population
-more accurate than self reporting studies
what are some weaknesses of observational studies?
-no determination of causality
-observer bias (influenced interpretations)
-little control of study environment
define psychological testing
measure and evaluate mental function and behaviors like intelligence, aptitude, abilities and personality
what are the two types of psychological testing?
objective and projective
define objective psychological testing
measures beliefs or feelings within conscious awareness
define projective psychological testing
reveals unconscious feelings or motives
what is an example of a projective psychological test?
asking participants to interpret an inkblot stain- what do you see?
what is a thematic apperception test?
people are shown ambiguous scenes and asked to create a story based on their perception
what can a thematic apperception test be used for?
describe aspects of emotional disturbance in children
what is significant about a TAT?
people project their own beliefs and experiences onto what they see in the study
what are some key differences between a psychological test versus a survey?
-psychological measures specific things, survey is more broad
-psychological is more standardized, surveys vary in design
-psychological can include subjective or objective questions, surveys primarily use self report
what are the strengths of surveys?
-large samples
-cost effective
-standardized
-quick and easy
-quantitative and qualitative data
what are the weaknesses of surveys?
-people may not necessarily answer truthfully
-questions can be misunderstood
-limited depth
-experimenter lead
define mode
the value that occurs the most frequently in a set of data
define dispersion
how closely packed or spread out around the central tendency
what is the simplest measure in data?
range: distance between the greatest and lowest score
what is the most common measure?
stand deviation: dispersion of data relative to the mean and is the square root of the variance
define qualitative inquiry
using non numerical data (stories, film, news) to uncover deeper understanding of human experiences and interactions
what is significant about qualitative inquiry?
makes no claim to objectivity or replicability
define ethnography
immersing yourself in a group or environment to understand culture
define pos correlation
both variables depend on each other, if one is high the other is also high and vice versa
define neg correlation
one variable is higher than the other
coefficient of correlation
between -1.00 and 1.00; when identifying strength ignore the signs, whatever number is biggest is the strongest correlation
define linear relationship
when variables on a scatterplot can be easily fit on a line
what do correlations tell us? what do they not tell us?
tell us how two variables are related, they cannot tell us anything about causality
define spurious relationship
relationships between variables in which a causal variable explains the relationship
what is a strength of correlations?
you can make general predictions about the variables
what does it mean for a hypothesis to be directional?
proposes a cause and effect relationship
define control condition
participants are not exposed to the same treatment as in the experimental condition used for comparison
define experimental condition
exposure to manipulation of the independent variable
define meta analysis
when you combine and statistically analyze the results of many studies
what is the best way to avoid assignment issues in research?
random assignment
define confounds
factors other than the independent variable that may be responsible for differences in the dependent variable
how do researchers manage subject expectancy?
single blind study- participants do not know if they are the control or experimental group
how do researchers manage experimenter expectancy?
double blind study- no one knows who is assigned as the control or experimental group
define a significance test
likelihood your results are due to chance and not your manipulation of the variables
define internal validity
you feel confident about the causal statements which happened in the study
define external validity
you feel confident you can generalize your results to people outside of your study
define deception
when participants are not completely informed about the nature of the research before agreeing to do it *used when necessary
define active deception
intentionally misleading; used when knowing the purpose of the study might affect the behaviour or results
define passive deception
withholding information but not actively providing false information; used when full disclosure may impact results but there is no need to mislead people
