Lecture 2 Flashcards
What are the three things that make people difficult to study?
complexity, variability, reactivity
What are the steps for a scientific approach?
theory, hypothesis, gather evidence, modify theory
What are the different ways to collect data?
case study, observational study, psychological test (assessment), surveys
Case Study
Observations, formal psychological testing, drawings, clinical interviews,
questionnaires, family interview
Observational Study
Researcher observes, measures,
records behavior while trying to avoid
intruding on the people being observed
Naturalistic observation examples
home or school
Laboratory Observation
controlled room or facility
What are the problems with observational studies?
- Mere presence of researchers and
equipment will change how people behave - only correlation and not causation
Psychological Tests (Assessments)
Measure personality traits,
emotional states, IQ, abilities
Objective Tests (Inventories)
measure beliefs, feelings, or behaviors of which people are aware
Standardized Tests
scores are based on NORMS
Projective Tests
those black and white image tests that determines a person’s personality
Assessments & Reliability
test must be reliable and produce same result across time, place, and scorer
Test-retest reliability
people tend to do better the second time
Alternate-forms reliability for tests/exams
multiple choice versus true/false
Assessments & Validity
a test must be valid and it must measure what it sets out to measure
Construct validity
items broadly represent the trait in question (job satisfaction question)
Predictive validity
ability to predict other measures of the trait in question, related traits (high school GPA reflects college GPA)
Surveys
questionnaires an interviews that gather info by asking people directly about their experiences, attitudes, opinions
What is required for a survey to be fair?
a group of participants that accurately represents the larger population the researcher wishes to
describe (age, sex, ethnic groups)
What are the problems with surveys?
volunteer bias, people lie, and researcher bias (choose questions they want)
What are the two types of studies?
correlational studies and experiments
Correlational study
a descriptive study that looks for a consistent relationship between two phenomena
Correlation
a measure of how strongly two
variables are related to one another
positive correlation
high and high
negative correlation
high and low
uncorrelated example
shoe size and IQ
What is the range of the coefficient of correlation?
-1 to 1
What is true about correlation and causation?
correlation does not establish causation
Wha is an experiment?
a controlled test of a hypothesis in which a researcher manipulates one variable to discover its effect on another
What is an independence variable?
the variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by other factors
What is a dependent variable?
a variable that depends on the independent variable
What is a control group?
a group that is sure that the behavior you are interested in would not have occurred anyway
What is a random assignment?
a procedure for assigning people to experimental and control groups in which each individual has the same probability as any other of being assigned to a given group
What are experimental effects?
experimenters can influence the results of a study (smile, tone of voice)
What do participants try to do during an experiment?
want to please and act in ways that the ordinarily would not
What is a single-blind study?
participants don’t know which group they are in and not know the purpose of the study
What is a double blind study?
neither the researcher nor the participant knows the treatments participants receive
What are descriptive statistics?
statistical procedures that organize and summarize data
What is an arithmetic mean?
an average hat is calculated by adding up a set of quantities and dividing the sum by the total number of quantities in the set
What is a standard deviation?
a commonly used measure of variability that indicates the average difference between scores in a distribution and their mean (clustered the scores are spread out around the mean)
What is inferential statistics?
allow researchers to draw inferences about how statistically meaningful a study’s results are
What is a significance test?
show how likely it is that a study’s results occurred merely by chance
What is Cross-sectional experiment?
a study in which subjects of different ages (or any groups) are compared at a given time
What is a longitudinal experiment?
a study in which subjects are followed and periodically reassessed over a period of time
What is the ethical consideration’s general principle?
Psychologists strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm and all experiments cause stress
What is informed consent?
a written agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who has been informed of a all the risks
What is debriefing?
a verbal description of the true nature and purpose of a study that psychologists provide to people after they have participated in the study
