Intro to Psych + Stats

Question 1

Define psychology.

Answer 1

The study of the mind and its processes.

Question 2

Distiguish between psychologist and psychiatrist.

Answer 2

Psychologists follow a scientific approach; they provide treatment strategies and can diagnose disorders. Psychiatrists can do the same things, but they have a medical approach and can prescribe medication.

Question 3

What is a social worker?

Answer 3

They offer support to immediate problems, help people process emotions and assist in their everyday lives.

Question 4

Why is psychology a science?

Answer 4

It uses a scientific approach. (posing a question, conducting research, drawing conclusions based on
data)

Question 5

Describe the scientific method.

Answer 5

A standardised way of making observations, gathering data, testing hypotheses and interpreting results to
establish theories in order to describe and measure human behaviour.

Question 6

Distinguish between extraneous variables and confounding variables.

Answer 6

Extraneous variables have a chance of affecting the DV despite not being the IV. A confounding variable is when it actually happens; it does affect the DV.

Question 7

What is the null hypothesis?

Answer 7

When it is predicted the IV will have no effect on the DV. It is assumed to be correct unless significantly proved otherwise.

Question 8

What is the alternate hypothesis?

Answer 8

When it is predicted the IV will effect the DV.

Question 9

Distinguish between populations and samples.

Answer 9

A population is a larger group of participants. A sample is a smaller group of selected participants.

Question 10

Define convenience sampling.

Answer 10

When researchers use people easily accessible to them. Subject to bias.

Question 11

Distinguish between random and stratified sampling.

Answer 11

Random is where every person in a population has an even chance of being selected. Stratified is where population is divided into sub-populations, and samples are drawn from each one.

Question 12

What is the repeated measures experimental design?

Answer 12

Each participant is part of both the experimental and control group. Tested on two (or more) occasions

Question 13

What is the matched participants experimental design?

Answer 13

Different participants in the experimental and control groups. Each group contains subjects matched on a particular variable

Question 14

What is the independent groups experimental design?

Answer 14

Different participants in the experimental and control groups

Question 15

Describe the placebo effect.

Answer 15

Participants’ behaviour is influenced by their expectations/beliefs. The single-blind procedure and eliminate this.

Question 16

What is the experimenter effect?

Answer 16

Experiment being unintentionally (or intentionally) influenced by the experimenter. The double-blind procedure can eliminate this.

Question 17

What is the correlational design?

Answer 17

Correlational research designs are non-experimental. there is no independent variable to manipulate. They measure two variables for statistical relationship

Question 18

Distinguish between subjective and objective data.

Answer 18

Subjective refers to opinions with no external criteria. Objective refers to external criteria involvement.

Question 19

Scales of measurement?

Answer 19

Nominal data: qualitative data that has no ranking or ordering of the values
implied.
Ordinal data: data that has a definite sequence but the gap between one level
and the next is not constant.
Interval data: data is measured on a scale with
regular intervals, but zero does not mean that the
property doesn’t exist.
Ratio data: measurements that represent quantities
with regular intervals and an absolute zero point of
origin.

Question 20

Distinguish between parametric and non-parametric data.

Answer 20

Parametric data is when the data is distributed normally, interval and ratio data, variences are similar and sample sizes do affect it. Non-parametric is not normally distributed, nominal and ordinal data and has small sample sizes.

Question 21

Distinguish between reliability and validity.

Answer 21

Reliablilty refers to the consistancy and stability of the measuring instrument. Validity refers to if the instrument is measuring what it needs to measure.

Question 22

What are skews?

Answer 22

A positive skew is when the peak of the curve happens sooner. A negative skew is when the curve happens later. (refer to slide 77 of psychology tool box).

Question 23

What are p-values?

Answer 23

the inferential tests will give a probability that the difference is caused by chance. If p= .03, then there are 3 chances in 100 (3%) that the difference is caused by chance. tells you the probability of observing the measured results of an experiment to determine if no effect is present.

Question 24

What are t-tests?

Answer 24

Tests whether two variables are similar or not.

Question 25

Mann-Whitney U test?

Answer 25

Tests if two variables are equal or not.

Question 26

Types of error?

Answer 26

A type I error (a false positive) has occurred if the null hypothesis is incorrectly rejected.
A type II error (a false negative) has occurred if the null hypothesis is incorrectly kept.

Question 27

What is the r-value?

Answer 27

represents the strength
and direction of the relationship between two variables.

Question 28

Distinguish between Pearson’s correlation and Spearman correlation.

Answer 28

Pearson product moment correlation measures the linear relationship between two continuous variables: a change in one
variable is associated with a proportional change in the other variable.
Spearman correlation measures the
relationship between two ordinal variables and looks
at how they change together (not at a constant rate).