PSYC 100 Chapter 2 textbook Flashcards
Scientific method
Theory- Hypothesis- Design- Data- Compare
Theory
a set of propositions about what people do and why
Hypothesis
a prediction about what will happen based on the theory
Data
observations from a study, usually in numerical form, collected from people at certain times or in certain situations
Replication
study has been conducted more than once on a new sample of participants and found the same basic results
Journal
Scientific publications
Variable
something of interest that can vary from person to person or situation to situation, at least 2 levels/values
Measured variable
Something that cant be changed, simply oserved
Manipulated variable
something the researcher controls by assigning different participants to different levels of that variable.
Operational definition
determines how you will go about determining the values of the variable.
Three types of research methods
Correlational, Experimental, Descriptive
Descriptive research
focuses on one measured variable at a time with the goal of describing what is typical. Descriptive research asks, “What do people do, on average?
Sample
a small group that participates in the research
population of interest
from where the sample is selected
random sampling
randomly choosing the people to participate in a study and make up the sample
case study
when a condition is more rare case studies are done as in-depth examinations of one person’s experience, abilities, and behavior.
Correlational research
the relationship between 2+ variables
Three criteria to know if one variable causes another
- (Correlation) Both variables must be correlated
- (Temporal precedence) Must know which variable came first
-No reasonable alternative explanation
Experimental study
A study where one variable is manipulated and the other is measured, can provide evidence for causation
Independent variable
Hypothesized cause, Manipulated variable
Dependent variable
Hypothesized effect, Measured variable
Random assignment
random method is used to decide which participants will be in which group
Validity
refers to the appropriateness or accuracy of some claim or conclusion
3 questions regarding validity
-How well did the researchers operationalize the variables?
-Are the people they studied representative of the population of interest?
-Can we rule out the most plausible alternative explanations?
Construct validity
how accurately the operationalizations used in a study capture the variables of interest.
Reliability
the degree to which a measure yields consistent results each time it is administered
External validity
ability to generalize to the population of interest
Internal Validity
Can we rule out alternative explanations
Confound
When the experimental groups accidentally differ on more than just the independent variable
Variability
The extent to which the scores in a batch differ from one another
Inferential statistics
use sample results to infer what is true about the broader population.
Statistical Significance
rules of logic and probability to estimate whether the results obtained in a sample came from a particular population.
3 ethical principles
Autonomy, Justice, Beneficence
Autonomy
Conset
Justice
Are the people in the study benefiting from it
Beneficence
Is any harm worth the benefits of the study
False positive
a statistically significant finding that does not reflect a real effect.
