Chapter 4: Research Methods Flashcards
internal validity
how much confidence you have in the result of your research
external validity
how well do the results relate to things outside your study
confounding variable
any factor occurring in a study that makes the results uninterpretable because a variable other than the independent variable may also affect the dependent variable
randomization
the process of assigning people to different research groups in a way that each person has an equal chance of being placed in any group
analogue models
an experimental design in which the procedures or participants used are similar but not identical to the situation of interest
generalizability
the extent to which results apply to everyone in a certain population
statistical significance
a mathematical calculation about the difference between groups
clinical significance
whether or not the different was meaningful for those affected
patient uniformity myth
the tendency to see all participants as one homogeneous group
In a treatment study, the introduction of the treatment to the participants is referred to as the ____.
independent variable
After the treatment study has been completed, you find that many people in the control group received treatment outside of the study. This is called a ___.
confound
A researcher’s guess about what a study might find is labeled the ___.
hypothesis
Scores on a depression scale improved for a treatment group after therapy. The change in these scores would be referred to as a change in the ____.
dependent variable
A relative lack of confounds in a study would indicate good ___, whereas good generalizability of the results would be called good ____.
internal validity, external validity
case study method
investigating intensively one or more individuals who display the behavioral and physical patterns
