Methods

Question 1

hindsight bias

Answer 1

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that you knew this info prior

Question 2

overconfidence

Answer 2

humans tend to think they know more than they do

Question 3

theory vs hypothesis

Answer 3

theory- a proven explanation of organized principles
hypothesis- a testable prediction that has not been completely proven

Question 4

operational definition

Answer 4

a report of all procedures to specifically define your experiment’s variables

Question 5

population

Answer 5

the participants in the group being studied

Question 6

random sample

Answer 6

a sample of the population that can unbiasedly and equally report results

Question 7

correlation

Answer 7

a measure of how much one factor predicts another

Question 8

correlation coefficient

Answer 8

a statistical index of the relationship between things on a scale between -1 to +1.
positive=increasexincrease w/ high correlation
negative=increasexdecrease w/ high correlation
zero= no correlation

Question 9

illusory correlations

Answer 9

perceived but nonexistent correlations (we notice coincidences more often) between vivid cases

Question 10

experiment

Answer 10

a way to research the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable

Question 11

random assignment

Answer 11

assigning participants to experimental and control group by chance

Question 12

double blind procedure

Answer 12

neither the participants nor staff know whether participants have received treatment or placebo- corrects volunteer and experimenter bias

Question 13

placebo effect

Answer 13

experimental results caused by expectations alone

Question 14

measures of central tendency

Answer 14

mean, median, mode

Question 15

measures of variation

Answer 15

range and standard deviation

Question 16

false consensus

Answer 16

incorrectly believing everyone agrees with your own opinions

Question 17

hawthorn effect

Answer 17

people change the way they act in the experiment because they know they are being watched

Question 18

single blind procedure

Answer 18

participants don’t know which group they’re in- corrects participant/volunteer bias

Question 19

informed consent

Answer 19

people have a right to know they are being studied and what it is

Question 20

deception

Answer 20

not clarifying an aspect of an experiment
in order to do this you need special permission from the psych committee (IRB)

Question 21

debrief

Answer 21

after experiment interview to assess participant wellbeing

Question 22

stratified sampling

Answer 22

instead of random sampling, you sample a percentage that is proportionate to the population

Question 23

third variable problem

Answer 23

two things appear correlated but there is a third variable that correlates with both

Question 24

case studies

Answer 24

observing to discover more about universal principles based on one person/small group
can study unique things
can’t generalize

Question 25

surveys

Answer 25

asking a group for their attitudes/beliefs directly, based on self reports
provides large random samples BUT sampling errors common (wording+lying)

Question 26

naturalistic observation

Answer 26

experimenter observes and records behavior without interfering/manipulating the situation
provides insight on natural conditions BUT cannot manipulate variables so does not fully explain behaviors

Question 27

longitudinal studies

Answer 27

measuring the same group of time
time=IV
developmental research
better prediction of changes BUT takes time and group gets smaller

Question 28

cross sectional studies

Answer 28

measuring different groups to compare
pre-determined IV (not manipulated)
takes less time BUT may not be accurate due to cohort effect

Question 29

testing

Answer 29

standardized questions normed against a large group
compares individual to a population

Question 30

scatterplot

Answer 30

plot two measured variables against each other
no IV, two DV
can help with prediction BUT not causation

Question 31

laboratory observation

Answer 31

experimenter changes the IV and randomly assigns to conditions of IV to measure DV
determines causation BUT artificial environment; Hawthorn Effect

Question 32

confidentiality

Answer 32

participant information is not released without consent

Question 33

validity vs reliability

Answer 33

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure (whether the results can be reproduced under the same conditions). Validity refers to the accuracy of a measure (whether the results really do represent what they are supposed to measure).