Final Exam Flashcards
Method of tenacity
Information is accepted as true because it has always been believed or because superstition supports it
Method of intuition
Information is accepted on the basis of a hunch or “gut feeling.”
Method of authority
A person relies on information or answers from an expert in the subject area.
Rational method
Seeks answers by the use of logical reasoning.
Empirical method
Uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain knowledge.
Scientific method
An approach to acquiring knowledge that involves formulating specific questions and then systematically finding answers.
Inductive reasoning
Involves using a relatively small set of specific observations as the basis for forming a general statement about a larger set of possible observations.
Deductive reasoning
Uses a general statement as the basis for reaching a conclusion about specific examples.
Operational definition
A procedure for indirectly measuring and defining a variable that cannot be observed or measured directly.
Reliability of a measurement
The stability or consistency of the measurement
Test-retest reliability
Established by comparing the scores obtained from two successive measurements of the same individuals and calculating a correlation between the two sets of scores.
Inter-rater reliability
The degree of agreement between two observers who simultaneously record measurements of the behaviors.
Split-half reliability
Obtained by splitting the items on a questionnaire or test in half, computing a separate score for each half, and then calculating the degree of consistency between the two scores for a group of participants.
Validity of a measure
The degree to which the measurement process measures the variable that it claims to measure.
Construct validity
Requires that the scores obtained from a measurement procedure behave exactly the same as the variable itself.
Concurrent validity
Demonstrated when scores obtained from a new measure are directly related to scores obtained from an established measure of the same variable.
Experimenter bias
Occurs when the measurements obtained in a study are influenced by the experimenter’s expectations or personal beliefs regarding the outcome of the study.
How to minimize experimenter bias
Mechanize the procedure; follow a protocol; use double-blind procedure
Reactivity
Occurs when participants modify their natural behavior in response to the fact that they are participating in a research study or the knowledge that they are being measured.
Demand characteristics
Any of the potential cues or features of a study that (1) suggest to the participants what the purpose and hypothesis is and (2) influence the participants to respond or behave in a certain way.
Good participant
These participants have identified the hypothesis of the study and are trying to produce responses that support the investigator’s hypothesis.
Negativistic participant
These participants have identified the hypothesis of the study and are trying to act contrary to the investigator’s hypothesis.
Informed consent
APA principle which requires the investigator to provide all available information about a study so that an individual can make a rational, informed decision to participate in the study.
Three components of informed consent
Information, understanding, and voluntary participation
Deception
Occurs when a researcher purposefully withholds information or misleads participants with regard to information about a study.
Passive deception
The withholding or omitting of information; the researcher intentionally does not tell participants some information about the study.
Active deception
The presenting of misinformation about the study to participants.
Confidentiality
The practice of keeping strictly secret and private the information or measurements obtained from an individual during a research study.
Population
The entire set of individuals of interest to a researcher.
Sample
A set of individuals selected from a population and usually is intended to represent the population in a research study.
Sample
A set of individuals selected from a population and usually is intended to represent the population in a research study.
Non-probability sampling
The population is not completely known, individual probabilities cannot be known, and the sampling method is based on factors such as commonsense or ease, with an effort to maintain representativeness and avoid bias.
Convenience sampling
Researchers simply use as participants those individuals who are easy to get.