chapter two: research methods

Question 1

hindsight bias

Answer 1

people have the tendency upon hearing about research findings (and many other things) to think that they knew it all along

Question 2

applied research

Answer 2

solve practical problems. might compare two methods to see which is better.

clear practical applications

Question 3

basic research

Answer 3

explores questions that are of interest to psychologists but are not intended to have immediate, real world applications.

Question 4

hypothesis

Answer 4

expresses a relationship between two variables

Question 5

variables

Answer 5

things that can vary among participants in the research

Question 6

dependent variable

Answer 6

depends on the independent variable so changes with the independent variable will also change the dependent

Question 7

theory

Answer 7

aims to explain some phenomenon and allows researchers to generate testable hypotheses with the hope of collecting data that supports the theory

Question 8

operational definitions

Answer 8

when you operationalize a variable you explain how you will measure it

Question 9

valid research

Answer 9

when it measures what the researcher set out to measure

Question 10

reliable research

Answer 10

when it can be replicated and is consistent

Question 11

participants

Answer 11

the individuals on which the research will be conducted on

Question 12

sampling

Answer 12

the process by which participants are selected

Question 13

sample

Answer 13

a group of participants

Question 14

population

Answer 14

includes anyone or anything that could possibly be selected to be in the sample

Question 15

representative sampling

Answer 15

the end goal in selecting a sample so it can represent a larger population

Question 16

random selection

Answer 16

every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 17

random

Answer 17

best done by using a computer

Question 18

stratified sampling

Answer 18

a process that allows a researcher to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria

Question 19

laboratory experiments

Answer 19

conduced in a lab highly controlled environment.

Question 20

field experiments

Answer 20

are conducted out in the world

Question 21

experiment

Answer 21

psychologist favorite method of research because only through a carefully controlled experiment can one show a casual relationship. allows researcher to manipulate variables

Question 22

confounding variables

Answer 22

is any difference between the experimental and control conditions

Question 23

assignment

Answer 23

process by which participants are put into group experimental or control

Question 24

random assignment

Answer 24

means that each participant has an equal chance f being placed into any group

Question 25

participant relevant confounding variables

Answer 25

highlight u likely that two groups would be compromised of similar people

Question 26

random/ controls

Answer 26

using random assignment diminishes the chance that participants in the work groups differ in any meaningful way

Question 27

double blind procedure

Answer 27

when neither the participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research.

Question 28

single blind

Answer 28

when participants do not know to which group they have been assigned

Question 29

experimenter bias versus social desirability

Answer 29

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

Question 30

hawthorne effect

Answer 30

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

Question 31

coerrelarion coefficient

Answer 31

-1 : +1 on how strong the correlation is

Question 32

inferential statistics

Answer 32

way to determine whether or not findings can be applied to larger population from which sample was selected

Question 33

p value

Answer 33

probability that the difference between the groups is due to chance

Question 34

IRB institutional review board

Answer 34

checks ethical issues with research