Chapter 3- How psychologists do research

Question 1

Basic research

Answer 1

answers fundamental questions about behaviour

Question 2

Applied research

Answer 2

looks into issues that have implications for everyday life and provides solutions to everyday problems

Question 3

Scientific method

Answer 3

assumptions, rules, and procedures scientists use to conduct research

used to create:

1. Laws
2. Theories
3. Hypothesis

Question 4

Laws

Answer 4

principles that are general and apply to all situations

Question 5

Theories

Answer 5

set of principles that explains and predicts many observed relationships

Question 6

Characteristics of theory (3)

Answer 6

1. General - applied to many different outcomes
2. Parsimonious - simplest possible explanation
3. Falsifiable - prediction can be made and measured to be correct or incorrect

Question 7

Research methods (5)

Answer 7

1. Ask questions
2. Explore existing research ideas
3. Develop a theory + construct a testable hypothesis - rough draft
4. Test hypothesis using systematic methods
5. Evaluate and share findings

Question 8

Validity

Answer 8

how good research is

Question 9

Internal validity

Answer 9

to what extent can we trust the conclusions about the independent and dependent variables?

Question 10

Construct validity

Answer 10

how well do the variables used assess the variables they were designed to measure?

Question 11

external validity

Answer 11

the extent to which the results too general

Question 12

meta-analysis

Answer 12

technique that uses the results of existing studies to draw conclusions about those studies

Question 13

placebo

Answer 13

inactive substance or fake treatment used as a control in an experiment

Question 14

deception

Answer 14

participants are not completely and fully informed about the study before participating

Question 15

correlation

Answer 15

a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another

relationship among 2 or more variables

correlation does not equal causation

Question 16

objective

Answer 16

unbiased

Question 17

moral principles

Answer 17

weighting risks against benefits, acting responsibly and with integrity, seeking justice, and respecting people’s rights and dignity

Question 18

debriefing

Answer 18

explain the research in everyday language after the study is done

Question 19

standard deviation

Answer 19

how much, on average, individual scores differ from the mean

Question 20

coefficient of correlation

Answer 20

the strength (size) and direction of the relationship between two variables

negative correlation (-1 - 0)
positive correlation (0-1)
zero correlation (0) means no relation between variables 
-1 and 1 are the strongest

Question 21

correlational research

Answer 21

a descriptive study that

discovers relationships between variables and can predict future events from them

Question 22

experimental research

Answer 22

manipulation of experiences between equivalent groups and measurement of the influence of the manipulation

Question 23

operationalization

Answer 23

a precise definition of a term that specifies the operations for observing and measuring the area of interest

Question 24

empirical

Answer 24

based on systemic collection and analysis of data

Question 25

standardization

Answer 25

consistency and objectivity of how tests are administered and scored

Question 26

hypothesis

Answer 26

an assumption/idea that is proposed for the sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true

Question 27

descriptive research

Answer 27

yield descriptions of current thoughts, feelings, and behaviours but can’t provide us with casual explanations
- case study, observational study

Question 28

observational studies

Answer 28

researcher observes

Question 29

positive correlation

Answer 29

positive correlation (0-1);
increase in 1 variables associated with increase in another and vice versa

1 is the strongest

Question 30

descriptive research

Answer 30

gives descriptions of current thoughts, feelings, and behaviours but can’t provide us with casual explanations
- case study, observational study

Question 31

zero correlation

Answer 31

(0) means no relation between variables