PSYC*2360 Chapter 2: The Research Process Flashcards
A process in which the experimenter uses direct and indirect observations or experiences to test a research question is known as what type of approach?
An empirical approach
What must be possible to empirically approach answering a question?
It must be possible to make systematic observations
T or F: Not everything being studied is directly observable, so some level of inference is needed.
True
Once an interesting and empirical research question has been determined, what is the next step?
To see what others have already learned about the topic
What is the best source for finding quality information about a question?
Peer-reviewed journal articles
What is the process by which scientific experts in the field review and evaluate the quality of research before publication?
Peer review
Prior to publication in a research journal, what must be done to a paper?
It must go through the peer-review process
What are research reports/ research articles?
A description of an empirical research study, including how data was collected, analyzed, and interpreted
What are systematic reviews
A review of literature that synthesizes the research evidence on a topic
What are meta-analyses?
A statistical analysis that compares and combines results from multiple studies on the same topic
What is a hypothesis?
An educated guess that provides a testable explanation of a phenomenon
What is the difference between a one-tailed hypothesis and a two-tailed hypothesis?
- One-tailed: Makes a prediction about the direction of results
- Two-tailed: Does not make predictions concerning the direction of results
When a large body of empirical evidence supports a hypothesis, what may that hypothesis eventually become?
A scientific law or theory
What is the main difference between a scientific law and a scientific theory?
- Scientific law: Describes some aspect of the world, but makes no assumptions about why it occurs
- Scientific theory: Provides an explanation for some aspect of the world
What are four strategies for generating a good hypothesis?
FICC:
- Find the exception to the rule
- Introspection
- Consider matters of degree
- Change the directionality
What are four characteristics of a good hypothesis?
FPSH:
- Falsifiability
- Parsimony
- Specificity
- High correspondence with reality
What does the principle of parsimony/specificity suggest?
When there are multiple ways of stating something, the most simple and direct way is best
Occam’s razor refers to what?
Cutting away of the unnecessary
What is the Barum effect?
The tendency for people to believe that general descriptions of personality are highly accurate and tailored specifically for them
Which characteristic of a good hypothesis helps overcome the tendency to confirm one’s own ideas?
Falsifiability
What are variables?
Elements that are expected to change/vary or that can have several values
In experimental studies, which variable is manipulated or controlled by the researcher?
The independent variable
In non-experimental studies, what is the independent variable referred to as?
The explanatory or predictor variable
In experimental studies, which variable represents the effect, or outcome, of the study?
The dependent variable
In non-experimental studies, what is the dependent variable referred to as?
The criterion or response variable
What is the difference between a conceptual definition and an operational definition?
- Conceptual definition: Defines a variable in theoretical terms
- Operational definition: Defines how a variable will be used/measured in a study
T or F: Operational definitions are developed before conceptual definitions.
False. Conceptual, then operational.
In which research design do experimenters control and manipulate the independent variable?
Experimental designs
What is the difference between a between-subjects and within-subjects design?
- Between-subjects: Each participant is assessed on only one level of the IV, and is compared with those assessed on different levels
- Within-subjects: Each participant is assessed on each level of the IV and their scores between levels are compared
What is a longitudinal design?
The collection of data on participants over a set period of time
Are experimental or non-experimental designs more common when attempting to simply describe a phenomenon?
Non-experimental
What is pragmatic research?
A sequence of related studies that build directly on a previous study’s findings
A detailed series of steps that describe the order in which to administer a study and provides a script for the researcher is known as what?
A research protocol
What is involved in obtaining informed consent?
Explaining the expectations, risks, and benefits of participating in a study, then allowing individuals to freely choose whether they want to take part
What is debriefing?
An explanation of the purpose of a study and discloser of deception to anyone who just participated
What are probabilistic conclusions?
A conclusion based on the probability or likelihood of getting certain results if, in reality, the variables actually have no association
T or F: Probabilistic conclusions about the relationship between variables provide absolute associations and truths.
False
Where is the best place to learn about new research (conducted within the last few months)?
Conferences
What are the two most common formats of conference presentations?
- Research posters
- Paper presentations
What is the abstract of an APA style research paper?
A short summary of the entire report that addresses the research topic, methodology, findings, and conclusions
What are three key things included in the introduction of an APA style research paper?
- Background literature on the topic
- Justification of the importance for the work
- The hypothesis
Which section of an APA style research paper provides details about the sample materials, and procedure of collecting data?
The methods section
Which section of an APA style research paper provides information about how hypotheses were tested?
The results section
In which section of an APA style research paper does the researcher interpret, explain, and apply the results of a study?
The discussion section
In which section of an APA style research paper does the researcher include the strength and weaknesses/limitations of the study?
The discussion section
What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
- Inductive: Involves using specific observations to draw general conclusions or theories
- Deductive: Involves using general conclusions or theories to make or explain specific observations
