Intro and Methods Flashcards
Causality
Being able to say that 1 variable is a direct result of another variable
Construal
How people perceive, comprehend, and interpret the world around them
Construct
An intangible representation of a behavior or phenomenon around which research is based
Control: group:
group with set of base variables that do not change
Correlation:
Relationship between two variables, can be -1:1
Debriefing:
Must occur after all experiments where there is deception
Demand Characteristics:
A bias where experimenters expectation causes the subjects to perform in the demanded way
Experimental group:
Compared against control group usually by changing 1 or 2 variables
Experimental study:
type of study that infers causality and attempts to explain behavior
External Validity:
When what you see is caused by real factors, things that are happening are representative of real life
Field study:
Study outside of a lab, usually some form of observation
Generalizability:
A way of seeing the if findings of your study are repeatable and applicable across many situations
Hindsight bias:
Bias where we all claim to have acted in a certain way in the past because we “knew” something would happen
Hypothesis:
A specific way to test a theory, idea about how a variable is affected by another variable
Informal consent:
What participants must give to participate in a study
Institutional Review Board:
Board that reviews ethics of experiments
Internal Validity:
Confirmation that what is happening is happening for a specific reason you are in control of
Longitudinal study:
type of observation that involves repeated observations over a long period of time
Naturalistic Observation:
Collection of data without affecting an environment
High in EV, but no private events, no control, and observer bias all are weaknesses
Operationalization:
Physical interpretation of a construct that is both tangible and testible
Study:
A scientific experiment
Placebo effect:
Thinking you took something that you didn’t actually take which causes you to act differently
Random Assignment:
Essential in experiments
Statistical significance:
When an experiment produces results that have numerical value
Survey:
Way of testing, gets correlation but NOT causation
Pro: Can ask about taboo topics, and cheap
Con: lots of biases, no causation
What is science?
Logical, repeatable, vulnerable to disconfirmation
Result of systematic observation, public verification, and solvable problems
Which types of studies yield correlational data? Which types yield causal data?
Correlational: Survey
Causal: Experiment
What are some possible flaws in different types pf psychological studies?
Bias, and experimental demand
How do you determine of the results of your study are valid?
Follow the scientific method, and repeat the study and look for similar results
What are the goals of science, relate to experiments?
Describe, explain, and predict behavior,
Describe: observational
Explain: Experiment
Predict: Survey
How do we conduct ethical research?
Informed consent Debrief patients Worthwhile research Confidentiality Minimize discomfort
