Chapter 4 Flashcards
What is research to psychology?
it is the foundation of clinical psychology
it is about the data and the science; it uses the scientific method
What is the goal of research?
to acquire knowledge regarding human behaviors and uses knowledge to better understand lives of others; to get to the base level of knowledge
What is external validity
generalizability of research results
what is required for a research study to be generalizable
must be applicable to other, larger population samples
must be applicable to the real-world environment
must be applicable to other times and other places
What is a true experiment?
consists of an independent and dependent variable that measures across 2 groups, the experimental group containing the independent variable being manipulated and the control group containing the dependent variable being measured/controlled based on the change resulting from the independent variable changes
what is randomization in a research study
the act of randomly assigning groups in a study, but these groups should not be significantly different (i.e. in terms of demographics)
explain the basics of an experiment
develop a testable hypothesis
- design experiment
select independent and dependent variables
IV - manipulated/provides the structure of study
DV - treatment/control/changes dependent on IV
measure & obtain data
what is experimental error
changes in dependent variable due to factors other than the influence of the independent variable (i.e. if the researcher has a bias on the IV manipulation pre-testing and effects results)
what is experimenter expectancy effect
experimenter behaves differently towards subjects in certain research conditions (i.e. being more friendly to one group)
what is reliability
stability or consistency of a measure (i.e. test results should measure similarly no matter the time of day)
what is validity
notion that an instrument should measure what is was designed to measure (i.e. anxiety tests should measure anxiety)
what is internal validity
potential extraneous influences on the dependent variable (outside factors that influence IV, should not happen)
what are threats to internal validity
- history - events outside experimentation (hurricane, death of a loved one)
- Maturation - changes within subjects (aging, becoming bored)
- testing - influence of testing on results bc of repeated measure (familiarity of testing pre and post experiment)
- instrumentation - influences of tests and measurement devices (invalid test-anxiety scale for study population)
what is statistical regression
the idea that over time, scores have a tendency to measure closer to the mean/avg.
what is external validity
generalizability of research results
- more real-world study/results = more generalizable
what are threats to external validity
- testing - use of assessment device that might sensitize/alter response - effects DV
- reactivity - subjects response to participating (may act/respond different in experiment vs natural)
- multiple-treatment interference - too many treatment conditions, unable to measure conditions (using music, images, and touch to measure relaxation at once)
- interaction selection bias - (groups may respond different based on assigned group)
what is a true experiment
demonstrates cause and effect relationships
used randomization, experimental and control conditions
uses IV and DV across two groups ^
pre+post test design
measure both groups before exp.
introduce treatment
post design to measure after exp.
what is a quasi-experimental design
random assignment and control conditions not possible (i.e. studying smokers)
- cannot infer cause and effect
though no randomizations, ensure groups are not significantly different in demographics
what is a between groups design
two or more separate groups of subjects are given different interventions, including a separate control group
(i.e. anxiety measure, one group music, one group aerobics, one control)
factorial design
2x2
two independent variables studied at once (i.e. studying race and gender - therapists, man woman black white - DV = therapeutic outcomes)
what is a within group design
examine influence of IV on same subjects over time
not assigned to groups - same patient studied at different points in time; subject is own control (i.e. hypertension patients studied over time for blood pressure and heart rate during cognitive tasks)
what is an analog design
not real-life but mimics real-life in a lab. experimental conditions controlled easier
high internal validity
low external validity
what is a case study
in-depth investigation, observation, and description of a single person or situation
-primary technique of Freud
not experiements - no DV. no manipulation of IV, no randomization
includes single subject (experiment and case study of one patient/case - ABAB design no intervention, intervention pattern)
includes multiple baseline design (multiple behaviors of a case are studied - behavior at home vs school)
what is a correlational design
examine the degree of association between two or more variables
no cause and effect conclusion
positive or negative correlations
studies degree of association between variables (correlation coefficient)
