Methods of Data Collection Flashcards
What is the purpose of a correlational study?
to estimate the numerical prediction between two measured variables
How is a correlational study conducted?
choose any 2 variables, measure them with an instrument in as large a sample size as possible, graph it, estimate the direction and strength of the correlation
What is the directionality problem?
for any correlation, A might have caused B, or B might have caused A
What is the third variable problem?
for any correlation, a third, unmeasured variable may be the true cause of the measured ones
What are spurious correlations?
strongly correlated variables that we know are not causally related (pool incidents vs nicholas cage movies)
what does a negative correlation mean?
as the value of one variable increases, the other decreases
What are the problems with pure observation?
isn’t always possible, isn’t always true, can change over time, people disagree, often inconsistent and incomplete
what is the scientific method?
a collection of practices, procedures/methods, and rules for how we observe, share, and think about the world
What are theories?
potential explanations for why or how something works
what are hypotheses?
predictions about what should happen in a specific situation
what are studies/experiments?
tests of a hypothesis by creating or finding situations in which the hypothesis should hold true
what are empirical methods?
a set of rules and techniques for observation
what are the three difficulties that come with studying humans?
complexity, variability, reactivity
what is scientific skepticism
not getting attached to any one theory or hypothesis
what is peer review?
sending your conclusions for review from other scientists
what is replication?
multiple studies done the same way should produce similar data
how do we combat the impossibility and unreliability of observation?
openness (all data publicly available)
double-blind experiments
falsifiable hypotheses
what are confirmatory studies?
those that start with a falsifiable hypothesis and then find data that either confirms or disconfirms it
what are exploratory studies?
studies that start by collecting data without a strong hypothesis, and then look for patterns to come up with a theory
what is an operational definition?
a description of a psychological property in measurable, observable terms
what is a feature of a strong operational definition?
construct validity
what does it mean for a detector to have power?
a detector’s ability to detect the presence of differences or changes in the magnitude of a property
what does it mean for a detector to have reliability?
a detector’s ability to detect the ABSENCE of differences or changes in the magnitude of a property
what is an instrument?
anything that measures the operational definition
what is validity?
it measures what it claims to measure
what is reliability?
it gives similar measurements each time it is used
what is power/sensitivity?
ability to detect small differences in the measure
what is data?
definition + instrument = a collection of measurements
what is a population?
a complete collection of people
what is a sample?
a partial collection of people drawn from a population
what the assumptions the scientific process in psych?
- Human nature can be studied through scientific testing
- Some parts of human nature are fixed, predictable, and universal
- Generalizations are made about people as a group, not about specific individuals
what are demand characteristics?
aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects
how do we avoid demand characteristics?
naturalistic observation, privacy and control, and unawareness
what is naturalistic observation?
a technique for gathering information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments
what is privacy and control?
people are less likely to be influenced by demand characteristics when they can’t be identified as the authors of their actions (ex: anonymous questionnaires), can also be avoided by measuring reactions that can’t be controlled (i.e. pupil dilation)
what is unawareness?
by making sure that people who are being observed are unaware of the purpose of the observation, they are unlikely to behave in a specific way because they don’t know what that way is
what is observer bias?
the tendency for observers’ expectations to influence both what they believe they observed and what they actually observed
what is the mode?
the value of the most frequently observed measurement
what is the mean?
the average value of the dataset
what is variability?
statements about where the measurements in a frequency distribution tend to lie relative to each other
what are the 4 components of an experiment?
- independent variable
- dependent variable
- random assignment
- random selection
what is random sampling?
a technique for selecting participant that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample
what is the solution to directionality?
you control the direction by choosing which variable you manipulate and which you measure
what is a solution to third-variable problems
two groups will be theoretically identical in every third variable, so the only difference will be from the manipulation you made
what is internal validity?
an attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships (i.e. everything inside the study is working exactly as it should be to draw conclusions)
what are type 1 errors?
when researchers conclude a causal relationship between variables that does NOT exist, aka false positive
what are type 2 errors?
when researchers conclude that there is not a causal relationship between variables when it DOES exist (false negative)
what is a meta-analysis?
a meta-analysis combines data from many different studies and combines them to get a more precise result
what is the case study method?
a procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual
what is freedom from coercion?
psychologists must not use physical, psychological, or monetary coercion
what is informed consent?
a verbal agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who as been informed of all the risk that participation may entail
what is protection from harm?
psychologists must take every possible precaution to protect their research participants from physical or psychological harm
what is risk-benefit analysis?
although participants can accept small risks such as a minor shock or small embarrassment, they cannot accept large risks such as severe pain, psychological trauma, or any risk greater than those encountered in everyday life, small risks must also be shown to participants to be outweighed by social benefits
what is deception?
psychologists may use deception only when it is justified by the scientific, educational, or applied value, or if there is no alternative procedure, cannot deceive in any part of a study that may bring about physical or psychological harm
what is debriefing?
if a participant is deceived in any way before or after during a study, they must be debriefed (defined as a verbal description of the true nature and purpose of the study), psychologists must restore any changes to the participant brought about by the task (i.e. if task made them sad, have them do something to make them happy)
what is confidentiality?
psychologists are obligated to keep private and personal information obtained during a study confidential
What is the three Rs Tenet from the CCAC?
replacement, reduction, refinement
what is replacement?
researchers must prove there is no alternative to using animals, and that it is justified by the scientific or clinical value
what is reduction?
researchers must use the smallest number of animals possible to achieve the research
what is refinement?
procedures must be modified to minimize discomfort, infection, illness, and pain, couple with humane treatment and the ability to satisfy basic instincts/needs
