PSYC Midterm Flashcards
Epistemology
The philosophical study of where knowledge comes from
Tenacity
It has always been accepted as true
Intuition
It feels correct
Authority
A respected source says it’s true
Rationalism
Using logical reasoning (if A then B) to dra a conclusion from premises
Empiricism
Observation through the senses (directly or indirectly)
Availability Heuristic
Things that come easily yo mind seem likely
Hindsight bias
Things seem obvious after you know the outcome
Confirmation bias
Looking for evidence that confirms our beliefs
Bias about bias
other people are biased; we aren’t
Falsifiability
Theory must lead to hypothesis that, when tested, could actually fail to support the theory
Parsimony
Preference for simplest explanation
Applied research
Done with a practical problem in mind
Basic research
Goal to enhance body of knowledge
Pseudoscience
Hypotheses that aren’t falsifiable
Claims are not directly supported by empirical evidence
Employs method of tenacity and/or authority
Not grounded in past scientific research
What question am I trying to answer?
Variables and relationships
What kind of data should I collect?
Measurement
Whom should I measure?
Sampling
How will I collect those measurements and what will they be able to tell me?
Research strategy and statistical inference
Variable
Thing that varies- must have at least two levels
constant
only has one level in the study
Frequencies
Rate or degree of a single variable
correlations
one level of a variable is associated with a particular level of another variable
Causal
One variable is responsible for changing another
Research strategy
The empirical approach used to gather data
Statistical Validity
Extent to which a study’s statistical conclusions are accurate/reasonable
Quantitative research
Statistical conclusions
Qualitative research
Draws descriptive conclusions
Descriptive research
Characterize single variable
Relational research
relate multiple variables
Correlational
Variables are NOT manipulated, NOT randomly assigned
Quasi-experimental
Participants are grouped but NOT randomly assigned to conditions
Experimental
Independent variable is actively manipulated and participants are randomly assigned to conditions
External validity
How well results of a study represent the people or context besides those in the original study
Sampling bias
Non-representative samples make it difficult to generalize population
Novelty effect
Being in a study can cause participants to behave strangely
Multiple treatment interference
Experience in previous treatment condition changes behavior I subsequent condition
Measurement timing
Results might be different if measurement was taken at a different time
Operational definitions
Results could be specific to choice of operational definition
Internal Validity
How sure are we that X causes Y
Experiment
Research design in which researchers manipulated at least one variable and measured another ; Participants are randomly assigned to a level of the independent variable