Lecture 3

Question 1

What is the experimental method?

Answer 1

One (or more) variables is manipulated to determine if it influences other variables

Question 2

What makes it so we can determine cause and effect?

Answer 2

Manipulation

Question 3

What are the steps of doing an experiment?

Answer 3

1) Manipulate one or more variables
2) Measure the effect on other variables
3) control extraneous factors

Question 4

What is the control group?

Answer 4

The baseline level of the Iv-receives no treatment

Question 5

What is a between-subjects design?

Answer 5

Different groups of participants are assigned to each “level” of the IV.

Question 6

What is a within-subjects design?

Answer 6

Each participant is exposed to all levels of the IV

Question 7

What is a problem with between-subjects designs?

Answer 7

Need to ensure groups are equivalent

Question 8

What is the solution to the problem with between-subjects designs?

Answer 8

Random assignment-each participant has an equal change to be in either group. Balances differences.

Question 9

Why is random assignment better than matching?

Answer 9

Because with random assignment, people will be roughly evenly split (even variables not considered will be roughly evenly split)

Question 10

What are some problems with a within-group design?

Answer 10

Sometimes the order of the conditions can make a difference

Question 11

What is the practice effect?

Answer 11

The person getting better at a task overtime

Question 12

What is a solution to the problem with within-group designs?

Answer 12

Counter-balancing- order of conditions is varied between people-random assignment to vary the orders

Question 13

What does multiple IV’s allow for you to do?

Answer 13

See an interaction

Question 14

What are inferential statistics?

Answer 14

Allows us to determine whether differences between groups are “real” and “big enough”

Question 15

What is statistical significance?

Answer 15

The result that would happen by chance in less than 5 in 100 experiments

Question 16

What are the 4 key concepts in psych testing?

Answer 16

1) Reliability
2) Validity
3) Sampling
4) Standardization

Question 17

What is reliability?

Answer 17

How consistent a measurment is

Question 18

What is validity?

Answer 18

How well a test measures what it’s supposed to measure

Question 19

What is sampling?

Answer 19

The procedures used to choose who takes the test and how well this matches our goal for generalizing

Question 20

What is standardization?

Answer 20

Define controlled testing procedures and developing norms

Question 21

What is test-retest reliability?

Answer 21

Are scores stable overtime?

Question 22

What is inter-judge reliability?

Answer 22

Would different people agree on the same scores for the same test?

Question 23

What is internal consistecy?

Answer 23

Do all different types of questions measure the same things (ex: Word problems don’t correlate as strongly with other math questions)

Question 24

What is construct validity?

Answer 24

Does the test measure the thing that it’s supposed to measure? (ex: IQ- might anything other than intelligence affect scores? Some are more about trivia knowledge)

Question 25

What is content validity?

Answer 25

Does the test measure ALL aspects of the thing were measuring?

Question 26

What is criterion-related validity?

Answer 26

Does the score correlate with something meaningful?

Question 27

What is static testing?

Answer 27

Researcher gives question, participant answers

Question 28

What is dynamic testing?

Answer 28

When the tester can give guided feedback- how well does this person use new information-assesses learning ability

Question 29

What is internal validity?

Answer 29

How well your experiment supports clear, causal conclusions. If experiment is designed carefully, this should be high

Question 30

What is external validity?

Answer 30

Degree to which your results can be generalized to other populations, settings, and conditions.

Question 31

What is research participant bias?

Answer 31

Changes in participants behaviour caused by the unintended influence of expectations.

Question 32

What is the placebo effect?

Answer 32

Sometimes the health of the control group improves simply because it was expected

Question 33

How can expectations be altered?

Answer 33

Size of pill (larger=more effective)
Dosage (2 has larger effect)
Packaging or pill colour (red pill is a stimulant, blue is a depressant)

Question 34

What happens when a person takes a morphine or aspirin placebo?

Answer 34

People will report that the placebo is 50% as effective as the real thing

Question 35

What is a bimodal distribution when it comes to placebo?

Answer 35

Half of people within the placebo group are optimists (placebo is exactly as powerful as real), half are pessimists (placebo is 0% effective)-creates the 50% number.

Question 36

What are things like the placebo effect a threat to?

Answer 36

Internal validity

Question 37

What is a single-blind study?

Answer 37

Avoids research participant bias by the participants not knowing whether they’re in the experimental or control group. Both groups will have same expectations

Question 38

What is researcher bias?

Answer 38

Changes in participant behaviour caused by the unintended influence of the researcher.

Question 39

What is a double-blind study?

Answer 39

Avoids researcher and participant bias. Neither knows whether the drug is placebo or actual

Question 40

What are confounding variables?

Answer 40

Variables intertwined with the IV. Prevents us from knowing if it was the IV or the confound that caused e effect. (similar idea is the 3rd variable problem)

Question 41

How do we increase external validity?

Answer 41

Replication-recreate experiment with tweaks to see if results are replicated