Chapter 7 Glossary

Question 1

What are achieval records?

Answer 1

Any data source for events that have already occured.

Question 2

What is casual inference?

Answer 2

Concluding that the change in the independent variable resulted in a change in the dependent variable. It may be drawn only if all confounding variables are controlled.

Question 3

What is coding data?

Answer 3

Process by which scores are assigned to behaviours.

Question 4

What is content analysis?

Answer 4

Classifying behaviours found in naturalistic research or archival records to create date for analysis.

Question 5

What is contingency?

Answer 5

A relationship between two or more variables, in which the first event is predictive of a second event.

Question 6

What is ethology?

Answer 6

The study of organisms in their natural enviornment.

Question 7

What is an ex post facto fallacy?

Answer 7

Error in reasoning in which we assume that the observed relationship between current and repoorted historical events represents

Question 8

What is experimenter bias?

Answer 8

Biasing effects produced by the expectations of the researcher.

Question 9

What is experimenter reactivity?

Answer 9

Any action by the researcher, other than the independent variable manipulation, that tends to influence participants’ responses.

Question 10

What is exploratory research?

Answer 10

Low-constraint research designed to investigate feasibility and to generate, rather than test, hypotheses.

Question 11

What is field research?

Answer 11

Research conducted outside the laboratory.

Question 12

What is generalisability?

Answer 12

Extent to which research findings are applicable to the outside world.

Question 13

What is generalise?

Answer 13

To assume that the findings of a study will be found for other participants or in other settings.

Question 14

What is habituation?

Answer 14

A process in which organisms gradually reduce their attention and their responsiveness to any stimulus that is routunely present.

Question 15

What is measurement reactivity?

Answer 15

Any effect on participant’s behaviour that results from the participant being aware that they are being observed.

Question 16

What is narrative data?

Answer 16

Verbal descriptions of activities, events or internal feelings rather than quantitative measures.

Question 17

What is nonreactive measures?

Answer 17

Any dependent measure that provides consistient and accurate scores, even when the participant is aware of being measured.

Question 18

What is participant observer?

Answer 18

Any researcher gathering data while being an active part of the setting.

Question 19

What is qualitative research method?

Answer 19

A research approach seeks to understand psychological operations by observing the broad pattern of variables.

Question 20

What is reactive measure?

Answer 20

Any measurement procedure that produces different scores depending on whether participants are aware that they are being measured.

Question 21

What is representativeness?

Answer 21

Degree to which a sample reflects population characteristics.

Question 22

What is sampling?

Answer 22

Process of drawing a sample from a population.

Question 23

What is scienticist-practioner model?

Answer 23

A model for the training of clinical psychologists, which teaches research and clincial skills in an integrated manner.

Question 24

What is selective survival?

Answer 24

The phenomenon in which some stored records are maintained while others are lost due to unknown factors.

Question 25

What is unobtrusive measure?

Answer 25

Any measure that can be used without the participants being aware that they are being observed.

Question 26

WHat is unobtrustive observer?

Answer 26

Anyone who is able to observe the behaviour of participants without the participants being aware that they are being observed,.