Chapter Two Flashcards
variable
a characteristic on which people differ and so takes on more than one value when it is measured in a group of people
postulates
proposed links among variables
hypothesis
derivations of theoretical postulates that can be tested in research
hypothetical construct
abstract concepts such as “prejudice” or “empathy”
operational definition
concrete representations of hypothetical constructs that allow us to observe hypothetical constructs indirectly rather than directly
reliability
consistency in providing essentially the same result each time it is
used with the same person
validity
accuracy: A _____ measure assesses the characteristic it is supposed to assess, assesses all aspects of the characteristic, and assesses only that characteristic
social desirability bias
a person’s tendency to give responses that are consistent with social norms rather than responses that reflect their true attitudes
convergent validity
scores on a measure correlate with scores on measures of the same or related characteristics
divergent validity
a measure does not assess characteristics that it is not supposed to assess
self-report measures
asking people about their attitudes, opinions, and behaviors and then recording what they say
amygdala
highly involved in emotional responses to stimuli and emotions that are characteristic of intergroup prejudices
naturalistic fallacy
the belief that because something has a biological basis, it is a natural, in-born, and unchangeable aspect of human nature
implicit cognition measure
assess the degree to which concepts are associated with one another in
memory
affective priming paradigm
exposure to an example of a member of a category activates concepts associated with the category
