key science skills Flashcards
empirical evidence
information obtained through direct and sytematic observation or experimentation
aim
a statement outlining the purpose of an investigation
hypothesis
a testable prediction about the outcome of an investigation
variable
a condition or component of an experiment that can be measured or manipulated
population
the group of people who are the focus of the research and from which the sample is drawn
controlled experiment
a type of investigation in which the causal relationship between two variables is tested in a controlled environment
Controlled variables
variables other than the IV that a researcher holds constant
independent variable
the variable for which quantities are manipulated
dependent variable
the variable the researcher measures in an experiment
case study
an in-depth investigation of an individual, group, or particular phenomenon
correlational study
non-experimental study in which researchers observe and measure the relationship between two or more variables without any active control or manipulation of them
experimental group
the group of participants in an experiment who are exposed to a manipulated independent variable
control group
the group of participants in an experiment who receive no experimental treatment in order to serve as a baseline for comparison
within-subjects design
an experimental design in which participants complete every experimental condition
between subjects design
an experimental design in which individuals are divided into different groups and complete only one experimental condition
mixed design
an experimental design which combines elements of within-subjects and between-subjects designs
sample
a subset of the research population who participate in a study
random sampling
any sampling technique that uses a procedure to ensure every member of the population has the same chance of being selected
stratified sampling
any sampling technique that involves selecting people from the population in a way that ensures that its strata are proportionally represented in the sample
extraneous variable
any variable that is not the independent variable but may cause an unwanted effect on the dependent variable
confounding variable
a variable that has directly and systematically affected the dependent variable, apart from the independent variable
examples of extraneous and confounding variables (4)
participant-related variables, order effects, placebo effects, experimenter effects
placebo effect
when participants respond to an inactive substance or treatment as a result of their expectations or beliefs
measures of variablity
statistics that summarise and describe the spread and distribution of a data set. includes range and standard deviation
accuracy
how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity being measured
true value
the value, or range of values, that would be found if the quantity could be measured perfectly
precision
how closely a set of measurement values agree with each other
systematic errors
errors in data that differ from the true value by a consistent amount
random errors
errors in data that are unsystematic and occur due to chance
repeatability
the extent to which successive measurements or studies produce the same results when carried out under identical conditions within a short period of time
reproducibility
the extent to which successive measurements or studies produce the same results when repeated under different conditions
validity
the extent to which psychological tools and investigations truly support their findings or conclusions
beneficence
the commitment to maximising benefits and
minimising the risks and harms
integrity
the commitment to searching for knowledge and understanding, and the honest reporting of all sources of information and results
justice
the moral obligation to ensure that there is fair consideration of competing claims; that there is no unfair burden on a particular group from an action; and that there is fair distribution and access to the benefits of an action
respect
the consideration of the extent to which living things have an intrinsic value and/or instrumental value; giving due regard to the welfare of the individual
6 ethical guidelines
confidentiality, informed consent, use of deception, debreifing, voluntary participation and withdrawal rights
