Key Terms Flashcards
Lab experiment
The IV is manipulated by the researcher and the experiment is carried out in a lab or other contrived setting away from the participants normal environment
Field experiment
The IV is manipulated by the experimenter but this time the experiment is carried out using participants in there normal surroundings.
Quasi experiment
The IV is naturally occurring, not manipulated by the researcher.
Repeated measures
This involves using the same people in each condition.
Independent measures design
This involves using different people in each condition.
Matched pairs design
This involves using different people in each condition but an attempt is made to make participants as similar as possible on certain characteristics.
Participant variables
Are characteristics of the individual participant that may influence results
Situational variables
Are any features of the research situation which influences a participants behaviour and therefore the results.
Order effects
If doing the same activity twice participants may do better the second time because practise or worse because of boredom.
Demand characteristics
These are cues that let the participant know the true meaning of the experiment resulting in them changing their behaviour.
Alternative hypothesis
This predicts how one variable is likely to affect another variable. It predicts that the IV will affect the dv.
A null hypothesis
Predicts that the IV will not affect the DV.
A two tailed hypothesis
Predicts that the IV will have a significant affect on the DV but doesn’t predict the direction in which the experiment will go.
A one tailed hypothesis
This predicts that not only will the IV have a significant effect on the DV but also the direction in which the effect will go in.
Operationalisation
Refers to the process of making variables physically measurable or testable.
Target population
The group of people the researcher is interested in studying.
Sampling methods
The different ways in which researchers can obtain a sample of people from within the target population to take part in their study.
Sample
The actual group of people used the the research
Self selecting
This is when people volunteer to take part in the study. Often adverts will be distributed which contain details about be research.
Opportunity
A sample is collected by using people from the area around you.
Abstract
A summary of a piece of research that outlines the aim, method, participants, results, and conclusions presented at the start of the research paper.
Altruistic behaviour
selfless behaviour; behaviour that is unselfish in its concern for others.
appendices/appendix
a section that may appear at the end of a research paper which contains any list of materials, calculations, raw data, and anything else the reader needs to fully understand and research.
biased sample
a sample that is not representative of its target population or of people in general.
biomedical
a model of health that seeks to explain health in terms of single-factor physical causes.
bystander apathy
where people do not offer help to a victim when others are present.
case studies
where a small group of participants are studied in depth; often the participants are unusual in some way.
castration complex
part of the oedipus complex: a boy’s fear, after seeing a naked female for the first time, the he will lose his penis.
ceiling effect
the point at which the participant cannot achieve a higher score, eg. on a test, although they have the capability to do so.
classical conditioning
the principle that people learn to associate two stimuli.
closed/forced answer questions
questions with a limited range of responses to choose from.
coding frames
groups of classifications that show how qualitative data has been converted in numerical (quantitative) data for analysis.
concurrent validity
Where a test is validated against an existing measure. for example, it we know that X cause Y, and the new test also shows that X causes Y, then we know that the new test has validity.
conditions
in an experiment, the situation under which is undertaken. Usually there is a control condition and an experimental condition and results from each condition are compared to determine the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
confidentiality
a set of rules to protect the privacy of participants by not associating their names with their responses.
consent
an ethical requirement that ensures that all participants have agreed to take part in the procedure/experiment/research.
construct validity
where a test or study measures the actual behaviour it sets out to measure.
content analysis
where researchers analyse text to look for patterns and repetitions.
controlled observation
an observation that controls all the possible factors which might alter the behaviour.
controls
the aspects of research that are kept the same for each condition to ensure that the independent variable is the only variable effecting the dependent variable.
correlation studies
where the researcher tests to see whether two variables are related.
cost-reward [analysis]
weighing up the price of a behaviour or action versus the potential benefits.
counterbalancing
a way of reducing order effects in a repeated measures design experiment by systematically varying the order of presentation of tasks to participants.
covert observation
where ‘participants’ are observed without their knowledge.
criterion validity
how much one measure predicts the value of another measure.
cross cultural
across and involving people from different cultures.
cross sectional study
where data is collected at a specific point in time, but participants are people of different ages; it is a form of snapshot study with some of the benefits of a longitudinal study.
culturally biased
bias towards people from particular culture, in that people from other cultures may not understand the research in the same way.
curve of normal distribution
on a graph, a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve which shows that most scores are around the midpoint and then fewer scores are seen as the behaviour becomes more or less than the midpoint.
debrief
a discussion between the participant and researcher, following an investigation, where the researcher ensures the participant will not be traumatised by the experiment.
deception
in research, where experiments are tricked into believing the investigation is studying something other than what it is.
deductive
research where the primary goal is testing theories.
demand characteristics
where participant interpret the aims of the experiment/research and change their behaviour to fit these aims.
dependent variable
the measure of behaviour in an experiment. assumed to be affected by the dependent variable.
determinist
belief that a person’s behaviour is determined by factors beyond control.
diffusion of responsibilty
where there is a victim and lots of bystanders are present; individual bystanders may not feel enough responsibility to help the victim because the responsibility is shared between all the bystander..
discussion
the part of the research paper that focuses on what the study has discovered. it includes evaluation and alternative explantations as well as suggestions for how to move the research on in terms of improvements or. new ideas to pursue in the future.
disorder
an illness that alters normal physical or mental functions.
double-blind
where both the participants and the researchers are unaware of which condition the participants are in or the aims of the study.
ecological validity
where research is true to life.
empirical evidence
evidence obtained from research into how things are (as opposed to how we might believe them to be)
ethics
in research, moral principles that influence the way in which the research is carried out.
event sampling
where an event is recorded each time it happens.
experiments
tests undertaken under controlled conditions in order to investigate the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
external reliability
the extent to which a test score varies from one time to another.
external validity
where research can be generalised to other settings.
extraneous variable
an undesirable variable that might affect the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.
face validity
how good the test or research looks to be at testing what is meant to be testing.
field experiments
experiments that occur in the natural environment of the people whose behaviour is being studied.
free will
acting according to personal choice, rather than necessity or fate.
frequency table
a tally chart, where the frequency of particular scores recorded.
frontal lobe
the areas of the brain which are responsible for all higher-order and more complicated functions, such as thinking, planning and forming ideas.
generalise
to take a specific research finding and apply it to the broader population
histogram
similar to bar charts, but only used for continuous data.
holistic
where parts of a whole are considered to be interrelated so that the whole is more than just the sum of its parts.
hypothesis
the research prediction, based on a theory or observation.
in-attentional blindness
the failure to see an event or object in your field of vision because you are so focused on other elements of what you can see.
independent measures design
where participants are randomly allocated to the different experimental conditions.
inductive
where the primary goal is generating new theories.
internal reliability
consistency of results of a test across items within that test.
internal validity
where research does not have lots extraneous variables and the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable is being truly measured.
inter-rater reliability
where two observers consistently rate or observe the same behaviour and the two sets of ratings are correlated to ensure that observations are not subjective.
lab experiments
experiments that occur in a controlled setting, such as a research lab at a university.
leading question
questions where researcher, often unintentionally, may lead the participant to give a certain (possibly more desirably) answer.
level of significance
the level at which psychologist will reject the null hypothesis.
likert scale
a scale the provides a range of answers for people to select the one that represents the extent to which they like/dislike something or agree/disagree with something.
longitudinal study
the collection of data from participants over a long period of time in order to investigate behaviour changes over time.
matched pairs design
similar to independent measures design except that participants are allocated to their condition based on some relevant characteristic. this is to ensure that both conditions contain similar sorts of people.
measure of central tendency
ways of calculating central, average or typical scores.
measures of dispersion
ways of calculating how widely dispersed or spread out the scores are.
method
a lengthy section of the research paper which includes all the details necessary for someone to carry out exactly the same research in the same conditions.
moral development
the process by which people come to understand right and wrong.
naturalistic observation
observation that is carried out in the field.
non-participant observation
obersavation in which the observer is not a member of the group being studied or playing a part of another person in the group.
a null hypothesis
a prediction that there will be no effect (ie. an experiment, the independent variable will not have the predicted effect on the dependent variable; in a correlation, the two variables will not be related.)
oedipus complex
a term developed by Freud to describe incestuous feelings supposedly felt by a son towards his mother, as well as the associated jealousy felt towards a father who is perceived to be a rival.
one tailed hypothesis
a hypothesis where a specific effect is predicted.
operant conditioning
the principle that behaviour will be repeated if it is rewarded.
opportunity sample
a group of participants who have been selected due to availability.
order effects
where the order that an experimental task is carried out may affect the results; order effects include fatigue and practise.
