Chapter Two - Research Methods Flashcards
Base Rate
How common a characteristic or behaviour is in the general population.
Between-subjects design
In an experiment, researchers assign different groups to the control or experimental condition.
Blind
Being unaware of whether one is in the experimental or control group.
Case Study
Research design that examines one person or a small number of people in depth, often over an extended time period.
Central Tendency
Measure of the central scores in a data set, or where the group tends to cluster.
Control Group
In an experiment, the group of participants that doesn’t receive the manipulation.
Correlational Design
Research design that examines the extent to which two variables are associated.
Demand Characteristics
Cues that participants pick up from a study that allows them to generate guesses regarding the researcher’s hypotheses.
Dependent Variable
Variable that an experimenter measures to see whether the manipulation had an effect.
Descriptive Statistics
Numerical characterizations that describe data.
Double-Blind
When neither researchers nor participants are aware of who’s in the experimental or control group.
Existence Proofs
Demonstration that a given psychological phenomenon can occur.
Experiment
Research design characterized by random assignment of participants to conditions and manipulation of an independent variable.
Experimental Group
In an experiment, the group of participants that receives the manipulation.
Experimenter Expectancy Effect
Phenomenon in which researcher’s hypotheses lead them to unintentionally bias the outcome of a study.
External Validity
Extent to which we can generalize findings to real world settings.
Heuristic
Mental shortcut or rule of thumb that helps us streamline our thinking and make sense of the world.
Illusory Correlation
Perception of a statistical association between two variables where none exists.
Independent Variable
Variable that an experimenter manipulates.
Inferential Statistics
Mathematical methods that allow us to determine whether we can generalize findings from our sample to the full population.
Informed Consent
Informing research participants of what is involved in a study before asking them to participate.
Internal Validity
Extent to which we can draw cause and effect inferences from a study.
Meta - Analysis
Statistical method that helps researches interpret large bodies of psychological literature.
Naturalistic Observation
Watching behaviour in real-world settings without trying to manipulate the situation.
Operational Definition
A working definition of what a researcher is measuring.
Placebo Effect
Improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement.
Prefrontal Lobotomy
Surgical procedure that severs fibres connecting the frontal lobes of the brain from the underlying thalamus.
Useless procedure.
Random Assignment
Randomly sorting participants into groups.
Random Selection
Procedure that ensures every person in a population has an equal chance of being chosen to participate.
Reliability
Consistency of measurement.
Response Sets
Tendency of research participants to distort their responses to questionnaire items.
Standard Deviation
Measure of variability that takes into account how far each data point is from the mean.
Statistics
Application of mathematics to describing and analyzing data.
Validity
Extent to which a measure assesses what it purports to measure.
Variability
Measure of how loosely or tightly bunched scores are.
Within-Subject Design
In an experiment, each participant acts as their own control.
System One Thinking
Intuitive thinking
Tends to be rapid, relies on hunches.
System Two Thinking
Analytical Thinking
Tends to be slow and rely on thoughtful examination of issues.
Correlation Coefficients
Statistic that psychologists use to measure correlations.
Ranges in value from -1.0 - 1.0.
A correlation coefficient of - 1.0 is a perfect negative correlation.
1.0+ is a perfect positive correlation.
To know its strength, find the absolute value.
Interrater Reliability
The extent to which people who conduct behavioural observations agree on the characteristics they are measuring.
Self-Report Measures
A type of survey, questionnaire, or poll in which respondents reason the question and select a response by themselves without interference.
Malingering
The tendency to make ourselves appear psychologically disturbed with the aim of achieving a personal goal.
Halo Effect
When rating others one positive characteristic can influence the ratings of other positive characteristics.
Horns Effect
When rating of one negative trait can spill over to influence the ratings of other negative traits.
Nocebo Effect
Harm resulting from the mere expectation of harm.
Sharpening
The tendency to exaggerate the central message of the study.
Leveling
The tendency to minimize the less central details of a study.
Pseudo-symmetry
The false impression given by the mass media that scientists are equally divided on an issue.
Precognition
Acquiring knowledge of future events before they occur through paranormal means, that is mechanisms that lie outside of traditional science.
Clairvoyance
Detecting the presence of objects or people that are hidden from view.
