Midterm Flashcards
Using logic and reason to come to knowledge involves using which of the following:
Rationalization
Identifying the cause of a relationship between two variables meets which goal of human behavioral research?
Explaining behavior
Identify two circumstances under which would not need to obtain informed consent
Archival data and for class observation or demonstration purposes
What to goal should be accomplished with a debriefing
Dehoaxing: revealing hypothesis and any deception
Densensitizing: improving mood or other aspects
Which of the following is true about falsified data
 it might go undetected if it is consistent with results from other laboratories
Compared to laboratory research what is the advantage of field research?
There is a greater degree of mundane realism
Which of the following is the best example of converging operations
Several studies use different operational definitions of aggression yet produce the same basic results
Can you show causation with a subject variable?
No, because there are too many differences in between groups
acceptance of facts because the person is highly respected
authority
coming to direct knolwedge without reasoning
intuition
unquestioning faith in the truth of some matter held due to fear of uncertainty
tenacity
use of discourse and logic
Rationalization
learning through experience
basis of the scientific method
Empiricism
Attributes of Scientific Thinking
Determinism
Systematic Observations
Public Knowledge
Objectivity
Data Based Conclusions
Tentative Conclusions
Answerable Questions
all events have causes
determinism
aspects of this attribute include:
- precise definitions
- reliable and valid measuring tools
- accepted methodology
- systems of logic for drawing conclusions
systematic observation
Moving knowledge into the public sphere objectively
public knowledge
observation that’s verified by more than one observer
objectivity
conclusions about human behavior that can be supported by evidence gathered through systematic procedure
Data Based Conclusion
conclusions that are subject to revision or change based on future research
Tentative Conclusions
questions that can be answered using the scientific method
Empirical Questions
T/F
theories can’t be proven only can provide support for a claim
True
any field that seems to use the scientific method but is based on inadequate unscientific methods
Pseudoscience
-associates with true science
- anecdotal evidence
- avoids falsification requirements
- oversimplifies
Ways to identify pseudoscience
- describe behavior
- predict behavior
- explain behavior
- correctly apply findings about behavior
Role of research in psych
- develop theory & hypothesis
- designing studies
- collect data
- analyze data
- communicate the research results
Research process
standards governing the conduct of a person or members of a profession
Ethics
researchers must weigh the costs and benefits of the research they want to conduct in order to benefit society and not harm others
Beneficence and nonmaleficence
researchers must be aware that they represent the field and they must exemplify the highest standard
fidelity and responsibility
honesty in research
integrity
researchers must safeguard confidentiality and protect the rights of volunteer
respect for people’s rights
Should contain as few participant costs as possible
Human research
Weigh costs for researchers // protect participants and researchers.
Reviews study and offer suggestions and questions
IRB (Int. Review Board)
Ability to be informed
True Volunteers
No longer able to make their own decisions
Examples:
Children
Special needs
Elderly
Incarcerated
Special Populations
When you don’t need consent
If observation is completely public behavior
Anonymous questionnaire
Archival data
Class demonstration purposes
Employment related activities
Basic research
fundamentals of the field
Applied research
solves real world problems
Lab research
- can control environment// high control// less generalizability
- less mundane realism
- easier to be ethical
Field research
- matches everyday life// less control// more generalizability
- more mundane realism
- grey area in consent
Quantitative Data
numerical data
qualitative data
verbal summaries
Empirical questions
Questions that can be measured in some way
Operational definition
a concept that’s defined by the researcher that will be measured
Converging operations
studies using different operational definitions converge on a common conclusion
Theory
logically consistent statements about behavioral phenomenon
Good theories…
- productivity: generate new research
- falsification: attempt to disprove
- parsimony: remain simple
Convenience sample
who happen to be most accessible to the researcher
non-probability sampling
individuals are selected based on non-random criteria, and not every individual has a chance of being included
Random sampling
every member of the pop. has some definable probability of be selected for the sample
population
group of something researcher is interested in
sample
group that is representative of the population which the researcher experiments on
Stratified sample
dividing the population into subpopulations that may differ in important ways
where one samples specific proportions of individuals from various subpopulations (strata) in the larger population
Cluster sample
you divide a population into clusters, then randomly select some of these clusters as your sample
Reliability
lack of measurement error
repeatability & consistency in measurement
Measurement error
affects performance
systemic error
make same mistake every time
Ways to measure reliability
test-retest
alt forms
split half
Validity
measuring what we intend to measure
Content validity
whether the test or assessment measures what it is supposed to
Criterion validity
whether measurement is related to some behavior est by prior research
Construct validity
Adequacy of operational definition
Relationship between reliability and validity
Reliability is about the consistency of a measure, and validity is about the accuracy of a measure.
A reliable measurement is not always valid
A valid measurement is usually reliable
nominal scale
number assignment indicates a catergory
0=women 1=men
interval scale
equal intervals between events no zero point
temperature
time through years
ordinal
rankings, in order indicating more or less of something
1st, 2nd, 3rd
ratio scale
whatever your measure contains a zero point
age
stopwatch time
Descriptive statistics
description of what the sample is
Frequency
of times scores occur
Which measure of central tendency is preferred
Mean; because it contains all the values
Variability
how spread the data is
Histogram
frequency distribution
Inferential statisitcs
Allows us to make generalizations from sample to population
Null Hypothesis
here is no relationship between the two variables being studied
No difference
Alternative Hypothesis
states that there is a relationship between the two variables being studied
found difference
Type 1 error
occurs when a researcher incorrectly rejects a true null hypothesis
findings are significant when in fact they have occurred by chance.
Type 2 error
occurs when a researcher fails to reject a null hypothesis which is really false
researcher concludes there is not a significant effect, when actually there really is
Systemic error
identifiable factor that wasnt controlled properly
Error variance
Non systematic variability due to individual difference
Power
prob of rejecting hypothesis when it is false
