Chapter One

Question 0

What attitudes have helped make modern science possible?

Answer 0

Curiosity, skepticism, humility.

Question 1

Hindsight Bias

Answer 1

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Question 2

Critical Thinking

Answer 2

Thinking that doesn’t blindly accept arguments and conclusions, but rather examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.

Question 3

Scientific Theory

Answer 3

An exam platoon using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations

Question 4

Hypothesis

Answer 4

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Question 5

Operational Definition

Answer 5

A statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables

Question 6

Replication

Answer 6

Repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances

Question 7

Case Study

Answer 7

Observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in hopes of revealing universal principles

Question 8

Survey

Answer 8

Technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes of behaviors of people, usually by random sampling

Question 9

False Consensus Effect

Answer 9

Tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs/behaviors

Question 10

What is the best basis for generalizing?

Answer 10

From a representative sample of cases

Question 11

Population

Answer 11

All the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study

Question 12

Samples

Answer 12

The small group of participants (population) out of the total number available that a researcher studios

Question 13

Representative

Answer 13

A sample that fairly reflects the population being studied

Question 13

Random Sample

Answer 13

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Question 14

Nonrepresentative

Answer 14

A sample that unfairly reflects the population being studied

Question 15

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 15

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Question 16

Correlation

Answer 16

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together and how well either factor predicts the other

Question 17

Scatter plot

Answer 17

Graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationships between the variables and the amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation.

Question 18

Illusory Correlation

Answer 18

The perception of a relationship where none exists

Question 19

Wording Effect

Answer 19

The way in which a question is worded can affect the outcome.

ex: Was the war on terror worth fighting? -or- Did the USA do right by responding to the events of 9/11?

Question 20

Double-Blind Procedure

Answer 20

A experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the participants have received the treatment or placebo. Commonly used in drug evaluation studies.

Question 21

What is placebo Latin for?

Answer 21

I-Shall-Please

Question 22

Placebo Effect

Answer 22

Experimental results caused by expectation alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent

Question 23

Experimental Condition

Answer 23

The condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Question 24

Control Condition

Answer 24

The condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Question 25

Random Assignment

Answer 25

Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups.

Question 26

Independent Variable

Answer 26

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Question 27

Dependent Variable

Answer 27

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

Question 28

Descriptive Research Method

Answer 28

Basic purpose is to observe and record behavior

Question 29

Correlational Research Method

Answer 29

Basic purpose is to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess now well one variable predicts another

Question 31

Experimental Research Method

Answer 31

Basic purpose is to explore cause and effect

Question 33

Experimenter Bias

Answer 33

The unconscious tendency to for researchers to treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis

Question 34

After gathering data, researchers must…

Answer 34

Organize and summarize information, then make inferences

Question 35

What’s the most common way to organize data?

Answer 35

Make a bar graph.

Question 36

Measure of Central Tendency

Answer 36

Mean, median, or mode.

It’s a single score that represents a whole set of scores.

Question 38

Median

Answer 38

The middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it, half the scores are below it.

Question 39

Mean

Answer 39

The arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores then dividing by the number of scores. This is the most commonly reported measure of central tendency.

Question 40

Range

Answer 40

The difference between the highest and the lowest scores in a distribution

Question 41

Standard Deviation

Answer 41

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean scores

Question 42

3 Principles for Making Generalizations from Samples

Answer 42

1. Representative samples are better than biased samples.
2. Less-variable observations are more reliable than those that are more variable.
3. More cases are better than fewer.

Question 43

Statistical Significance

Answer 43

A statistical statement if how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. If the odds of an event occurring by chance is greater than 5%, then the information is unreliable.

This helps psychologists decide whether differences are meaningful.

Question 44

Culture

Answer 44

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Question 46

Mode

Answer 46

The most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution