Chapter 3 - "Research Methods" Flashcards
behavioural measures
Measures designed to gain insight into particular psychological states or processes that involve recording performance on particular activities or tasks.
behavioural trace measures
Measures designed to gain insight into behavior that examines phenomena associated with that behaviour. For example, footprints in the sand could provide a behavioural trace of where people have walked, and this could be used to measure people’s preference for particular parts of a beach.
behaviourism
An approach to psychology that asserts human behaviour can be understood in terms of directly observable relationships (in particular, between a stimulus and a response) without having to refer to underlying mental states. Behaviourism was the dominant approach to psychology for most of the first half of the twentieth century.
dimension
Any property of people or things in which they can differ (e.g. intelligence or height). Different people and things can therefore be situated or placed at different points along any dimension and it is possible to differentiate between them in terms of the positions they occupy (e.g., for measurement or assessment purposes).
dynamic mental processes
Aspects of psychology that are seen to be common to people in general, but which are changeable over time (e.g., mood and judgement).
extraneous variable
Any variable that is not immediate interest to a researcher but which may pose a threat to validity because it compromises the interpretation of research findings. This is usually because it obscures the measurement of processes of interest.
generalization
The process of making statements about the general population on the basis of relevant research (e.g., experiments or surveys).
instrument
Any procedure or device used to assess or measure psychological or behavioural phenomena (e.g., intelligence, attitudes, eye movements).
physiological measures
Measures of physiological states or processes (e.g., skin conductance and blood flow) used in psychological research to gain insight into particular psychological states or processes.
population
The complete set of events, people or things that a researcher is interested in and from which any sample is taken.
psychological tests
Measurement procedures used to identify a person’s mental state relative to other people (or population norms). These typically involve large numbers of questions or tasks. Test reliability and validity are established through extensive research.
random sample
A sample in which each member of the population has the same probability of being included, This is ensured by random selection methods (e.g., by drawing lots).
sample
Either the group of participants from which a particular set of responses is obtained or that set of responses itself.
self-report measures
Measures designed to gain insight into particular psychological states or processes that ask participants to reflect on their own mental processes or behaviour.
stable psychological characteristics
Aspects of psychology that are seen to be relatively enduring over time and to be properties of particular individuals (e.g., personality and intelligence).
American Psychological Associates (APA)
The main professional body for psychologists in North America. With around 120,000 members organized into 54 divisions and an annual budget of over $100m, this body is widely seen to define ‘best practice’ for psychologists (not only researchers, but also clinicians and other practitioners) around the world. Most countries have similar bodies and there are also a range of bodies that oversee activity in specific fields of research and practice (see Research Bite 3.2).
causal interference
Either the process of reaching conclusions about the effect of one variable or another, or the outcome of such a process.
condition
A situation in which participants are all treated the same way (i.e., exposed to the same level of treatment) and where that treatment relates to something being investigated by the researcher.
confounding
Unintended or accidental manipulation of an extraneous variable that occurs because that variable (called a confound) is associated with an independent variable in an experiment. A confound is thus a special case of extraneous variable.
control group
Participants in an experiment who are not subjected to a relevant treatment (as distinct from an experimental group).
dependent variable (DV)
The outcome variable on which a research is interested in monitoring effects.
experiment
An experiment is an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested. In an experiment, an independent variable (the cause) is manipulated and the dependent variable (the effect) is measured; any extraneous variables are controlled. An advantage is that experiments should be objective.
experimental group
Participants in an experiment who are subjected to a particular level of relevant treatment (as distinct from a control group).
independent variable (IV)
The treatment variable manipulated by the experimenter in an experiment, or more generally the causal variable that is believed to be responsible for particular effects.
