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Experimental Psychology > Midterms: Key Terms > Flashcards

Midterms: Key Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

All circumstances that occur or exist before the event or behavior to be explained

A

Antecedent conditions

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2
Q

Research that is designed to solve real-world problems

A

Applied research

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3
Q

Research designed to test theories or to explain psychological phenomena

A

Basic research

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4
Q

The relation between a particular behavior and a set of antecedents that always precedes it – whereas other antecedents do not – so that the set is inferred to cause the behavior

A

Cause-and-effect relationship

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5
Q

Every day, nonscientific collection of psychological data used to understand the social world and guide our behavior

A

Commonsense psychology

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6
Q

Facts and figures gathered from observations in research

A

Data

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7
Q

The process undertaken to demonstrate that particular behavioral events will occur reliably in certain specifiable conditions; a principal tool of the scientific method

A

Empirical date

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8
Q

Organized and rational thought, characterized by open-mindedness, objectivity, and parsimony; a principal tool of the scientific method

A

Good thinking

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9
Q

General scientific principles that explain our universe and predict events

A

Laws

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10
Q

The systematic estimation of the quantity size or qualify of an observable event; a principal tool of the scientific method.

A

Measurement

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11
Q

The systematic noting and recording of events; a principal tool of the scientific method

A

Observation

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12
Q

An aspect of good thinking, stating that the simplest explanation is preferred until ruled out by conflicting evidence; also known as Occam’s razor

A

Parsimony

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13
Q

A field of study that gives the appearance of being scientific but has no true scientific basis and has not been confirmed using the tools of the scientific method: observation, measurement, and experimentation

A

Pseudoscience

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14
Q

A controlled procedure in which at least two different treatment conditions are applied to subjects whose behaviors are then measured and compared to test a hypothesis about the effects of the treatments on behavior

A

Psychology experiment

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15
Q

The process of repeating research procedure to verify that the outcome will be the same as before; a principal tool of the scientific method

A

Replication

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16
Q

The systematic gathering of data to provide descriptions of events taking place under specific condition, enabling researches to explain, predict, and control events.

A

Science

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17
Q

Steps scientists take to gather and verify information, answer questions, explain relationships, and communicate findings

A

Scientific method

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18
Q

The scientific term for an individual who participates in research

A

Subject

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19
Q

Capable of being tested; typically used in reference to a hypothesis. Three requirements must be met to have a testable hypothesis: procedures for manipulating the setting must exist, and the predicted outcome must be observable and measurable

A

Testable

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20
Q

A set of general principles that attempts to explain and predict behavior or other phenomena

A

Theory

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21
Q

A specific set of antecedent conditions created by the experimenter and presented to subjects to test its effect on behavior

A

Treatment

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22
Q

The concept that all sensate species that feel pain are of equal value and have rights

A

Animal rights

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23
Q

The humane care and treatment of animals

A

Animal welfare

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23
Q

The humane care and treatment of animals

A

Animal welfare

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24
Q

The likelihood of a subject being harmed in some way because of the nature of the research

A

At risk

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25
Q

The principle of full disclosure at the end of an experiment; that is, explaining to the subject the nature and purpose of the study

A

Debriefing

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26
Q

The unethical practice of falsifying or fabricating data; plagiarism is also a form of it

A

Fraud

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27
Q

A subject’s voluntary agreement to participate in a research project after the nature and purpose of the study have been explained

A

Informed consent

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28
Q

An institutional committee that reviews proposed research to safeguard the welfare of animal subjects

A

Institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC)

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29
Q

An institutional committee that reviews proposed research to safeguard the safety and right of human participants

A

Institutional review board (IRB)

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30
Q

The subject’s odds of being harmed are not increase by the research

A

Minimal risk

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31
Q

The representation of someone else’s ideas, words, or written work as one’s own; a serious breach of ethics that can result in legal action

A

Plagiarism

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32
Q

A determination, made by an IRB, that any risks to the individual are outweighed by potential benefits or the importance of the knowledge to be gained

A

Risk/benefit analysis

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33
Q

A descriptive method in which already existing records are reexamined for a new purpose

A

Archival study

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34
Q

The descriptive record of an individual’s experiences, behaviors, or both kept by an outside observer

A

Case study

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35
Q

A form of case study in which deviant individuals are compare with those who are not to identify the significant differences between them

A

Deviant case analysis

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36
Q

Contemporary phenomenology that relies on the researcher’s own experiences, experiential data provided by study participants, or other available sources such as literature or popular media; a qualitative approach

A

Empirical phenomenology

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37
Q

How well the findings of an experiment generalize or apply to people and settings that were not tested directly

A

External validity

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38
Q

A nonexperimental research method used in the field or in a real-life setting, typically employing variety of techniques, including naturalistic observation and unobtrusive measures or survey tools, such as questionnaires and interviews

A

Field study

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39
Q

A type of group interview; it is an organized discussion session with a small group of people, usually led by a trained facilitator

A

Focus group

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40
Q

The certainty that the changes in behavior observed across treatment conditions were actually cause by differences in treatments

A

Internal validity

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41
Q

A descriptive, monexperimental method of observing behaviors as they occur spontaneously in natural settings

A

Naturalistic observation

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42
Q

The set of attitudes, values, beliefs, methods, and procedures that are generally accepted within a particular discipline at a certain point in time

A

Paradigm

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43
Q

A special kind of field observation in which the researcher actually becomes part of the group being studied

A

Participant-observer study

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44
Q

A nonexperimental method of gathering data by attending to and describing one’s own immediate experience

A

Phenomenology

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45
Q

Research that relies on word rather than numbers for the data being; collected it focuses on self-reports, personal narratives, and expression of ideas, memories, feelings, and thoughts

A

Qualitative research

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46
Q

The tendency of subjects to alter their behavior or responses when they are aware of the presence of an observer

A

Reactivity

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47
Q

Data collected in the present based on recollections of past events; apt to be inaccurate because of faulty memory, bias, mood and situation

A

Retrospective data

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48
Q

A system for recording observations; each observation is recorded using specific rules or guidelines, so observations are more objective

A

Systematic observation

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49
Q

A procedure used to assess subjects’ behaviors without their knowledge; used to obtain more objective data

A

Unobtrusive measure

50
Q

A form of probability sampling in which a researcher samples entire clusters, or naturally occurring groups, that exist within the population

A

Cluster sampling

51
Q

A system for quantifying responses to open-ended questions by categorizing them according to objective rules or guidelines

A

Content analysis

52
Q

The concept that traits, attitudes, and preferences can be viewed as a continuous dimension, and each individual can fall at any point along each dimension; for example, sociability can be viewed as a continuous dimension ranging from very unsociable to very sociable

A

Continuous dimension

53
Q

A convenience sample is obtained by using any groups who happen to be convenient; considered a weak form of sampling because the researcher exercise no control over the representativeness of the sample

A

Convenience sampling (also called ACCIDENTAL SAMPLING)

54
Q

The measurement of magnitude, or quantitative size, having equal intervals between values but no true zero point

A

Interval scale

55
Q

The “hidden meaning” behind a question

A

Latent content

56
Q

The type of scale of measurement – ratio, interval, ordinal, or nominal – used to measure a variable

A

Level of measurement

57
Q

The plain meaning of the words or questions that actually appear on the page

A

Manifest content

58
Q

People who are apt to disagree with a question regardless of its manifest content

A

Nay-sayers

59
Q

The simplest level of measurement; classifies items into two or more distinct categories on the basis of some common feature

A

Nominal scale

60
Q

Sampling procedures in which subjects are not chosen at random; two common examples are quota and convenience sample

A

Nonprobability sampling

61
Q

A measure of magnitude in which each value is measured in the form of ranks

A

Ordinal scale

62
Q

All people, animals, or objects that have at least one characteristic in common

A

Population

63
Q

When in doubt about answers to multiple-choice questions, some people always select a response in a certain position, such as answer c

A

Position preference

64
Q

Selecting samples in such a way that the odds of any subject being selected for the study are known or can be calculated

A

Probability sampling

65
Q

The selection of nonrandom samples that reflect a specific purpose of the study

A

Purposive sampling

66
Q

Selecting samples through predetermined quotas that are intended to reflect the makeup of the population; they can reflect the proportions of important population subgroups, but the particular individuals are not selected at random

A

Quota sampling

67
Q

A table of numbers generated by a computer so that every number has an equal chance of being selected for each position in the table

A

Random number table

68
Q

An unbiased method for selecting subjects in such a way that each member of the population has an equal opportunity to be selected, and the outcome cannot be predicted ahead of time by any known law

A

Random selection

69
Q

A measure of magnitude having equal intervals between values and having an absolute zero point

A

Ratio scale

70
Q

The extent to which a survey is consistent and repeatable

A

Reliability

71
Q

The extent to which the sample responses we observe and measure reflect those we would obtain if we could sample the entire population

A

Representativeness

72
Q

A tendency to answer questions based on their latent content with the goal of creating a certain impression of ourselves

A

Response set

73
Q

A selected subset of the population of interest

A

Sample of subjects

74
Q

Deciding who the subjects will be and selecting them

A

Sampling

75
Q

The most basic form of probability sampling whereby a portion of the whole population is selected in an unbiased way

A

Simple random sampling

76
Q

A form of nonprobability sampling in which a researcher locates one or a few people who fit the sample criterion and asks these people to locate or lead the researcher to additional individuals who fit the criterion

A

Snowball sampling

77
Q

A form of probability sample obtained by randomly sampling from people in each important population subgroup in the same proportion as they exist in the population

A

Stratified random sampling

78
Q

A useful way of obtaining data about people’s opinions, attitudes, preferences, and experiences that are hard to observe directly; data may be obtained using questionnaires or interviews

A

Survey research

79
Q

A variation of random sampling in which a researcher selects every nth person from the population

A

Systematic random sampling

80
Q

The extent to which a survey actually measures the intended topic and not something else

A

Validity

81
Q

The differences among people in their style of responding to questions they are unsure about; some people will leave these questions blank, whereas others will take a guess.

A

Willingness to answer

82
Q

People who are apt to agree with a question regardless of its manifest content

A

Yea-sayers

83
Q

Creating and testing models that may suggest cause-and-effect relationships among behaviors

A

Causal modeling

84
Q

In a correlational study, an estimate of the amount of variability in scores on one variable that can be explained by the other variable

A

Coefficient of determination

85
Q

The degree of relationship between two traits, behaviors, or events, represented by r

A

Correlation

86
Q

A study designed to determine the correlation between two traits, behaviors, or events

A

Correlational study

87
Q

A method in which the same set of behaviors or characteristics are measured at two separate points in time (often years apart); six different correlations are computed, and the pattern of correlations is used to infer the causal direction

A

Cross-lagged panel design

88
Q

A method in which different groups of subjects who are at different stages are measured at a single point in time; a method that looks for time-related changes

A

Cross-sectional study

89
Q

A study in which a researcher systematically examines the effects of pre-existing subject characteristics (often called subject variables) by forming groups based on these naturally occurring difference between subjects

A

Ex post facto study

90
Q

A correlation-based method for estimating a score on one measured behavior from a score on the other when two behaviors are strongly related

A

Linear regression analysis

91
Q

A method in which the same group of subjects is followed and measured at different points in time; a method that looks for changes across time

A

Longitudinal design

92
Q

Statistical intercorrelations among three or more behaviors, represented by R

A

Multiple correlation

93
Q

A correlation-based technique (from multiple correlation) that uses a regression equation to predict the score on one behavior from scores on the other related behaviors

A

Multiple regression analysis

94
Q

The relationship existing between two variables such that an increase in one is associated with a decrease in the other; also called an inverse relationship

A

Negative correlation

95
Q

A design in which the researcher compares the effects of different treatment conditions on preexisting groups of participants

A

Nonequivalent groups design

96
Q

An analysis that allows the statistical influence of one measured variable to be held constant while computing the correlation between the other two measured variables

A

Partial correlation

97
Q

An important correlation-based method in which subjects are measured on several related behaviors; the researcher creates (and tests) models of possible causal sequences using sophisticated correlational techniques

A

Path analysis

98
Q

The relationship between two measures such that an increase in the value of one is associated with an increase in the value of the other; also called a direct relationship

A

Positive correlation

99
Q

A research design used to assess whether the occurrence of an event alters behavior; scores from measurements made before and after the event (called the pretest and posttest) are compared

A

Pretest/posttest design

100
Q

Often seem like (as the prefix quasi- implies) real experiments, but they lack one or more of its essential elements, such as manipulation of antecedents and random assignment to treatment conditions

A

Quasi-experimental designs

101
Q

The line of best fit; represents the equation that best describes the mathematical relationship between two variables measured in a correlational study

A

Regression line

102
Q

A graph of data from a correlational study, created by plotting pairs of scores from each subject; the value of one variable is plotted on the X (horizontal) axis and the other variable on the Y (vertical) axis

A

Scatterplot

103
Q

Relationships between pairs of score from each subject

A

Simple correlations

104
Q

The characteristics of the subjects in an experiment or quasi-experiment that cannot be manipulated by the researcher; sometimes used to select subjects into groups

A

Subject variable

105
Q

A statement that is always true

A

Analytic statement

106
Q

A statement that is always false

A

Contradictory statement

107
Q

The process of reasoning from general principles to specific instances; most useful for testing the principles of a theory

A

Deductive model

108
Q

Concluding section of the research report, used to integrate, the experimental findings into the existing body of knowledge, showing how the current research advances knowledge, increases generalizability of known effects, or contradicts past findings

A

Discussion

109
Q

A statement that is a tentative explanation of an event or behavior; it predicts the effects of specified antecedent conditions on a measured behavior

A

Experimental hypothesis

110
Q

A statement that is worded so that it is falsifiable, or disprovable, by experimental results

A

Falsifiable statement

111
Q

A statement that leads to new studies

A

Fruitful statement

112
Q

The thesis, or main idea, of an experiment or study consisting of a statement that predicts the relationship between at least two variables

A

Hypothesis

113
Q

The process of reasoning from specific cases to more general principles to form a hypothesis

A

Inductive model

114
Q

Beginning section of a research report that guides the reader toward your research hypothesis; includes a selective review of relevant, recent research

A

Introduction

115
Q

The development of ideas from hunches; knowing directly without reasoning from objective data

A

Intuition

116
Q

A statistical reviewing procedure that uses data from many similar studies to summarize and quantify research findings about individual topics

A

Meta-analysis

117
Q

A statement of predictions of how events, traits, or behaviors might be related, but not a statement about cause and effect

A

Non experimental hypothesis

118
Q

A statement that is simple and does not require many supporting assumptions

A

Parsimonious statement

119
Q

A periodical that publishes individual research reports and integrative research reviews, which are up-to-date summaries of what is known about a specific topic

A

Psychological journal

120
Q

The knack of finding things that are not being sought

A

Serendipity

121
Q

A statement that can be either true or false, a condition necessary to form an experimental hypothesis

A

Synthetic statement

122
Q

A statement that can be tested because the means exist for manipulating antecedent conditions and for measuring the resulting behavior

A

Testable statement

123
Q

Once we believe we know something, we tend to overlook instances that might disconfirm our beliefs, and we seek, instead, confirmatory instances of behavior

A

Confirmation Bias

Experimental Psychology (3 decks)

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