Methods Flashcards

1
Q

scientific explanation

A

invokes principles that are fewer in number, more general and earlier in the causal chain

appeal to something simpler and more basic generates broader phenomenon

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2
Q

steps for scientific method

A
  1. hypothesis
  2. compare prediction to observation/experiment
  3. assess if it matches prediction
  4. repeat, share, refine
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3
Q

problems in scientific practice

A

vague/unfalsifiable theories
sloppy methods
improper statistical analyses
too broad conclusions
publication bias
data fraud (manipulation)
reproducibility
p-hacking

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4
Q

meaning of unfalsifiable

A

no amount of experimentation can disprove claim or find a way to explain the results

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5
Q

explain publication bias

A

failing to publish not significant results; leads to only positive results in the literature

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6
Q

3 dimensions of psychological studies

A

research design
research setting
data-collection method

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7
Q

research designs

A

observational or experiment

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8
Q

research settings

A

lab or field

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9
Q

data-collection methods

A

self-report or behavior

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10
Q

good + bad of laboratory studies

A

controlled variables, application to the real world?

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11
Q

good + bad of self-reports

A

easy to collect, inexpensive, quick
but response bias, lie, lack of insight

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12
Q

personal space invasion leads to what?

A

increased arousal, slower peeing

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13
Q

problem with urinal experiment

A

no consent (even in public space)

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14
Q

limits of observational studies

A

give correlation not causation (no direct causality)

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15
Q

when is a study experimental

A

random assignment to condition

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16
Q

good + bad of experimental studies

A

can isolate variables to determine causality
manipulate predictor variable
measure outcome
random
control vs. experiment

confounding
not everything can be manipulated through random assignment
convenience (changing diet)

17
Q

operation definition

A

defines how something is measured and used in data collection

18
Q

6 levels of analysis

A

biology (hormones, neurons),
culture
evolution (natural selection, survival)
individual development (at what age..)
individual differences
social

19
Q

how could you measure emotion

A

facial action coding system (muscle movements)
skin conductance (arousal levels)

20
Q

examples of physiological measures

A

blood pressure, heart rate

21
Q

how could you measure brain activity

A

compare to non-primates (show evolutionary)
EEG
fMRI
transcranial magnetic simulation
CAT
PET

22
Q

EEG

A

electrodes measure electrical activity in brain
+ good temporal resolution
+ non-intrusive
- poor spatial resolution

23
Q

fMRI

A

measures blood flow to areas of brain
+ spatial resolution
- poor temporal resolution, expensive, inconvenient

24
Q

transcranial magnetic stimulation

A

electromagnetic induction over scalp to disrupt neuronal activity in targeted region
+ treatment for depression
+ temporal resolution
- low spatial resolution, side-effects (headaches)

25
CAT
noninvasive, X-ray images of brain
26
PET
detection of positrons -> blood flow - invasive - poor spatial resolution
27
3 developmental methods
- cross-sectional: compare 3yrs to 5yrs - longitudinal: same 3yrs then 5 yrs - twin studies: identical vs. fraternal
28
what is preferential looking techniques
study infant cognition and see what they are looking at (get bored with correct answers)
29
what is triangulating the truth
synthesizing studies using multiple methods to try to understand the whole truth
30
p-hacking
exploiting researcher degrees of freedom to get significant results
31
examples of p-hacking
ending data when it seems significant or continuing when not significant excluding certain students to make data significant
32
pre-registration
data analysis plan to distinguish between confirmatory and exploratory analysis
33
solutions to p-hacking
disclose (report how sample size was determined), pre-registration, replication, sharing materials/data
34
underpowered study
studies do not collect sufficient observations to detect the effects
35
If most published studies are underpowered, how are most published studies statistically significant?
p-hacking