Chapter Two: Methodology Flashcards
Hindsight Bias
The tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted the outcome after knowing that it occurred
Theory
An organized set of principles that can be used to explain observed phenomena
Hypothesis
A testable statement or idea about the relationship between two or more variables
Operational Definition
The precise specification of how variables are measured or manipulated
Observational Method
The technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records measurements of their behaviour
Ethnography
The method by which researchers attempt to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside without imposing any preconceived notions they might have
Interjudge Reliability
The level of agreement between two or more people who independently observe and code a set of date; by showing that two or more judges independently come up with the same observations, researchers ensure that the observations are not the subjective impressions of one individual
Archival Analysis
A form of the observational method whereby the researcher examines the accumulated documents, or archives, of a culture (ex. Diaries, novels, magazines, newspapers…)
Correlational Method
The technique whereby researchers systemically measure two or more variables and assess the relation between them (ex. How much one can be predicted from the other)
Correlation Coefficient
A statistic that assesses how well you can predict one variable based on another (ex. How well you can predict people’s weight from their height)
Surveys
Research in which a representative sample of people are asked questions about their attitudes or behaviour
Random Selection
A way of ensuring that a sample of people is representative of a population, by giving everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected for the sample
Experimental Method
The method in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different conditions and ensures that these conditions are identical except for the independent variable (The one thought to have a causal effect on people’s responses)
Independent Variable
The variable a researcher changes or varies to see if it has an effect on some other variable
Dependent Variable
The variable a researcher measures to see if it is influenced by the independent variable; the researcher hypothesizes that the dependent variable will be influenced by the level of the independent variable
Random Assignment to Condition
The process whereby all participants have an equal chance of taking part in any condition of an experiment; through random assignment, researchers can be relatively certain that differences in the participants’ personalities or backgrounds are distributed evenly across conditions
Probability Level (p-Value)
A number, calculated with statistical techniques, that tells researchers how likely it is that the results of their experiment occurred by chance and not because of the independent variable; the convention in science, including social psychology, is to consider results significant if the probability level is less than 5 in 100 that the results might be attributable to chance factors and not the independent variables studied
Internal Validity
Ensuring that nothing other than the independent variable can affect the dependent variable; this is accomplished by controlling all extraneous variables and by randomly assigning people to different experimental conditions
External Validity
The extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people
Psychological Realism
The extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to psychological processes that occur in everyday life
Cover Story
A description of the purpose of a study given to participants that is different from its true purpose; cover stories are used to maintain psychological realism
Field Experiment
An experiment conducted in natural settings, rather than in the laboratory
Replication
Repeating a study, generally with different subject populations, in different settings, or by using different methods
Meta-Analysis
A statistical technique that averages the results of two or more studies to see if the effect of an independent variable is reliable
Basic Research
Studies that are designed to find the best answer as to why people behave the way they do an that are conducted purely for reasons of intellectual curiosity
Applied Research
Studies designed specifically to solve a particular social problem; building a theory of behaviour is usually secondary to solving the specific problem
Cross Cultural Research
Research conducted with members of different cultures to see whether the psychological processes of interest are present across cultures or whether they are specific to a single culture
Informed Consent
Agreement to participate in an experiment, granted in full awareness of the nature of the experiment which has been explained in advance
Deception
The procedure whereby participants are misled about the true purpose of a study or the events that will actually transpire
Debriefing
Explaining to the participants, at the end of the experiment, the true purpose of the study and exactly what transpired
