Definitions for Final Flashcards
Hindsight bias
the tendency to be overconfident about whether they could have predicted a given outcome
thought experiment
when you cannot conduct an experiment for some reason or another and therefore you just think of how you would conduct it and test it which will often allow you to gain some insights you weren’t expecting
Dissonance theory
the theory that people like their thoughts to be consistent with one another and will do substantial mental work to achieve such cognitive consistency
Participant observation
observing some phenomenon at close range
Self-selection
when the researcher has no control over a participant’s score or level of a given variable. Properties of the participants are not assigned by the researcher
Longitudinal studies
collecting measures at different points in time
IV/DV
The independent variable (which the scientist manipulates) is supposed to be the cause of the dependant variable (which thew scientist measures
External validity vs Internal validity
External validity is a measure of well the study conditions relate to real life while Internal validity is a measure of how the result was ONLY caused by the manipulated variable and nothing else, this is essential. It also requires that the experiment seem realistic and plausible to participants
Reliability
the degree to which the same result is obtained no matter how many time the experiment is conducted
Measurement validity
the correlation between a measure and some outcome the measure is supposed to predict (how an IQ score predicts school grades)
Statistical significance
a measure of the probability that an event could have occurred by chance alone
Two factors determining statistical significance
The size of the difference between groups in an experiment or the size of a relationship between variables in a correlational study/
The number of cases on which the finding is based.
The larger the difference or relationship and the larger the number of cases: the greater the statistical significance
Open science
the way scientists are encouraged to share all their data and methods when conducting a study
IRB
institutional review board checks if a study is ethical
Informed consent
when the participants have been warned of the possible harm involved in the study
Deception research
when informing the participants would have defeated the purpose of the study and therefore the participants are not warned
Basic science vs applied science
Basic science is trying to understand a phenomenon in its own right rather than trying to solve it while
Applied science tries to solve a real life issue
Basic research can give rise to theories that will lead to interventions to change something
Applied research can produce results that feed back into basic science
Self-schemas
represent people’s beliefs and feelings about themselves both in general and in particular situations.
They are more than simple storage of knowledge, they also help us navigate and make sense of all the information being thrown at us everyday
Reflected self-appraises
our beliefs about other’s reactions to us. This means that we see ourselves partly in the light of others
Working self concept
the idea that we only show a part of ourselves in any given context, usually the most appropriate part to the situation
independent self-construal vs interdependent self-construal
An independent self-construal promotes an inward focus on the self, whereas an interdependent self-construal promotes an outward focus on the social situation
Social comparison theory
when people have no objective standard by which to evaluate their traits or abilities, they do so largely by comparing themselves with others
Self-esteem
the overall positive or negative evaluation people have of themselves
State self-esteem vs Trait self esteem
State: the dynamic, changeable self-evaluations a person experiences as momentary feelings about the self
Trait: the stable part of one’s identity