PRELIMS Flashcards
relying on our guts, our emotions, and/or our instincts to guide us.
INTUITION
One of the most common methods of acquiring knowledge. involves accepting new ideas because some authority figure
states that they are true
AUTHORITY
Using logic and reasoning to acquire new knowledge. Problem with this method is that if the premises are wrong or there is an error in logic then the conclusion will not be valid.
RATIONALISM
Acquiring knowledge through observation and experience. Visual illusions trick our senses that illustrates the problems with relying on empiricism alone to derive knowledge.
EMPIRICISM
process of systematically collecting and evaluating
evidence to test ideas and answer questions.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
generally conducted by people with doctoral degrees and master’s degrees in psychology and related fields, often
supported by research assistants with bachelor’s degrees or other relevant training.
EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST
The activities of clinical and counseling psychologists,
school psychologists, marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, and others who work with people individually or in small groups to identify and help address their psychological problems.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS
Examples of Empirically Supported Treatments
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Behavioral Couples Therapy
- Exposure Therapy
- Family-based Treatment
direct observations of our own and others’
behavior as well as secondhand observations from non-scientific sources such as newspapers, books, blogs, and so
on
INFORMAL OBSERVATION
Inspire research ideas, leading directly to applied research
in such domains as law, health, education, and sports
PRACTICAL PROBLEMS
the most common inspiration for new research idea. Find
inspiration by picking up a copy of almost any professional journal and reading the titles and abstracts
PREVIOUS RESEARCH
Look closely in a section where researchers
summarize their results, and suggest directions
for future research.
GENERATING GOOD RESEARCH QUESTION
2 CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING RESEARCH QUESTIONS
INTERESTINGNESS AND FEASIBILITY
a specific prediction about a new
phenomenon that should be observed if a
particular theory is accurate.
HYPOTHESIS
Characteristics of a Good Hypothesis
- must be testable and falsifiable
- must be logical
- should be positive
record observations at different time intervals
TIME SAMPLING
record every instance of the behavior or event
EVENT SAMPLING
observe the behavior in more than one situation
SITUATIONAL SAMPLING
observing subjects in their natural environment
NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION
Alteration of performance due to awareness of being observed. To avoid reactivity, must conduct unobtrusive observation and unobtrusive measure.
REACTIVITY
A technique that attempts to determine how two or more variables are related. It does not involve manipulation of data.
RELATIONAL APPROACH
Allows the researcher to determine
simultaneously the degree and direction of
relationship between two variables
CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
measures the degree and direction of the relationship between two variables
CORRELATION COEFFICIENT
a statistical formula that measures the strength between variables and relationships
PEARSON’S CORRELATION COEFFICIENT OR PEARSON’S R
a third variable in a study examining a potential cause and effect relationship
CONFOUNDING VARIABLES
detailed examination of one individual, but may also involve comparison of a small number of individuals
CASE STUDY
gather detailed, self-reported information from a large number of individuals
SURVEY
much more common in some areas of psychology than in others.
SURVEY RESEARCH
occurs when the environment is
systemically manipulated so that the causal effect
of this manipulation on some behaviour can be
observed.
EXPERIMENT
Typically well planned, with the investigator having a
clear idea of the anticipated outcome. It tries to pit against each other two theories that make different predictions.
CRITICAL EXPERIMENT
Researchers perform an experiment in the absence of
a compelling theory just to see what happens.
WHAT-IF EXPERIMENT
Better way to replicate is to extend the
previous procedure by adding something
new while retaining something old.
TO REPEAT OR REPLICATE A PREVIOUS FINDING
Are the gears and cogs that make experiments
run. Effective selection and manipulation of
variables make the difference between a good
experiment and a poor one
VARIABLES
Makes the streamlining of conducting
experiments as efficiently and as effectively as
possible.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
FOUR CRITERIA OF EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
a) Independent variable
b) Dependent variable
c) Random assignment
d) Control group
different participants are assigned to different
conditions or treatments.
BETWEEN SUBJECTS DESIGN
the same participants are used to test all
conditions or treatments.
WITHIN SUBJECTS DESIGN
experiments with a small number of participants, often less
than 20.
SMALL N-DESIGN
Combines elements of both between-subjects and within subjects designs. In a mixed design, some participants are assigned to different conditions, while others are tested under multiple conditions.
MIXED DESIGN
The group does not receive the levels of interest
of the independent variable
CONTROL GROUPS AND CONDITIONS
Using the technique of naturalistic observation requires that the scientist wait patiently until the conditions of interest occur
ECONOMY
Research participants, knowing they are under a magnifying glass, change the way they act or the things they say. It
can be subconscious or deliberate
DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS
he tendency on the part of the experimenter/researcher to influence the participants or to interpret the data/findings to
arrive at the result they are seeking to obtain.
EXPERIMENTER EFFECT
a study in which both the person implementing the
experiment and the participant (s) are not aware of which individual is receiving the experimental treatment.
DOUBLE-BLIND EXPERIMENT
making generalizations from a sample to a population
RANDOM SELECTION
produce comparison groups that are similar in all
possible factors
RANDOM ASSIGNMENT
process in which participants are provided with
information about a research study and
are asked to agree to participate
INFORMED CONSENT
refers to the practice of misleading participants about the true nature of the study or the information being collected.
DECEPTION
a process in which participants are informed about the true
nature of a research study after it has been completed.
DEBRIEFING
the practice of keeping participants’ personal and sensitive
information private and secure.
CONFIDENTIALITY
neglecting the rights and interests of other species
SPIECIESISM
direct, specific repetitions of research.
REPLICATIONS
taking credit for someone else’s ideas, data, or words.
PLAGIARISM
are short summaries (180 words or less) of the experiments.
ABSTRACTS
typically occupy a prominent place in a given journal issue, such as the inside front cover, back cover, or first page.
TITLE AND AUTHOR
a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article; it allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly
ABSTRACT
specifies the problem to be studied and tells why it is important.
INTRODUCTION
describes in detail the operations performed by the
experimenter.
METHOD
tells what happened in the experiment
RESULTS
most creative part of an article. Here, an author is permitted to restate what the data show and to draw theoretical conclusions
DISCUSSION
found at the end of the article
REFERENCES
It presents facts objectively demonstrating a genuine interest and care in developing new understanding about a topic; you don’t explicitly state an argument or opinion, but rather, you rely on collected data and previously researched information in order to make a claim
IMRaD
