chapter two: research methods Flashcards
hindsight bias
people have the tendency upon hearing about research findings (and many other things) to think that they knew it all along
applied research
solve practical problems. might compare two methods to see which is better.
clear practical applications
basic research
explores questions that are of interest to psychologists but are not intended to have immediate, real world applications.
hypothesis
expresses a relationship between two variables
variables
things that can vary among participants in the research
dependent variable
depends on the independent variable so changes with the independent variable will also change the dependent
theory
aims to explain some phenomenon and allows researchers to generate testable hypotheses with the hope of collecting data that supports the theory
operational definitions
when you operationalize a variable you explain how you will measure it
valid research
when it measures what the researcher set out to measure
reliable research
when it can be replicated and is consistent
participants
the individuals on which the research will be conducted on
sampling
the process by which participants are selected
sample
a group of participants
population
includes anyone or anything that could possibly be selected to be in the sample
representative sampling
the end goal in selecting a sample so it can represent a larger population
random selection
every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
random
best done by using a computer
stratified sampling
a process that allows a researcher to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria
laboratory experiments
conduced in a lab highly controlled environment.
field experiments
are conducted out in the world
experiment
psychologist favorite method of research because only through a carefully controlled experiment can one show a casual relationship. allows researcher to manipulate variables
confounding variables
is any difference between the experimental and control conditions
assignment
process by which participants are put into group experimental or control
random assignment
means that each participant has an equal chance f being placed into any group
participant relevant confounding variables
highlight u likely that two groups would be compromised of similar people
random/ controls
using random assignment diminishes the chance that participants in the work groups differ in any meaningful way
double blind procedure
when neither the participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research.
single blind
when participants do not know to which group they have been assigned
experimenter bias versus social desirability
eb: unconscious tendency for researchers to reward members of experiment differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis
sd: participants try to answer in a way they think others would like them to answer
hawthorne effect
selecting a group of people on whom to experiment has been determined to affect the performance of that group regardless of what is done to those individuals
coerrelarion coefficient
-1 : +1 on how strong the correlation is
inferential statistics
way to determine whether or not findings can be applied to larger population from which sample was selected
p value
probability that the difference between the groups is due to chance
IRB institutional review board
checks ethical issues with research
