Psychological Research

Question 1

Descriptive Research

Answer 1

• determines the basic dimensions of a phenomenon, defining what it is, how often it occurs, etc.
• Does not allows us to say how and why things are the way they are
• 3 types: observation, surveys & interviews, case studies

Question 2

Observation

Answer 2

• who/what
• when and where
• how

Question 3

Survey & Interviews

Answer 3

-self-report measures, checklist; what people think about themselves

Question 4

Case studies

Answer 4

-an in-depth look at an individual; may also involve families or groups

Question 5

Correlational Research

Answer 5

• tells us about the relationship between 2 variables (+1.00 and -1.00)
• DOES NOT mean causation

Question 6

Longitudinal Research

Answer 6

• obtaining measures of the variables you are interested in multiple waves over time
• cannot state causality with 100% certainty

Question 7

Experiment

Answer 7

-regulated procedure in which a research manipulates one or more variables that is/are hypothesized to influence another variable

Question 8

Random assignment

Answer 8

-assignment of participants in a study to groups by chance ensure that any differences that emerge in the results are due to preexisting differences

Question 9

Independent Variable

Answer 9

-the variable that the researcher changes to see what its effects are; the cause

Question 10

Dependent Variable

Answer 10

-the factor that can change in an experiment in response to changes in the independent variable; the effect

Question 11

Experimental Groups

Answer 11

-participants in an experiment who receive the drug or other treatment study

Question 12

Control Group

Answer 12

-participants in an experiment who are as much like the experimental group as possible except that they do not receive or experience the manipulated factor

Question 13

External Validity

Answer 13

-the degree to which an experimental design actually reflects the real-world issues it is supposed to address

Question 14

Internal Validity

Answer 14

-the degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable

Question 15

Experimenter Bias

Answer 15

-bias that occurs in research when the researcher’s expectations influence the outcome of the study

Question 16

Demand Characteristics

Answer 16

-any aspect of a study that communicates to a participant how the researcher wants him/her to behave/respond

Question 17

Placebo

Answer 17

-a harmless substance used in drug studies that is given to participants in the control group so that they are receiving a drug just like the experimental group – the difference being that their “drug” is not an actual medication that is expected to produce change

Question 18

Population

Answer 18

-the entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions

Question 19

Sample

Answer 19

-the subset of the population chosen by the investigator for study

Question 20

Random Sampling

Answer 20

-a sample that gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected

Question 21

Common Settings

Answer 21

-research laboratory; classroom

Question 22

Naturalistic Settings

Answer 22

-the observation of behavior in a real-world setting

Question 23

Institutional Review Boards

Answer 23

-a review board that evaluates the ethical nature of a proposed research study

Question 24

American Psychological Association

Answer 24

-professional society in the field of psychology that has developed ethical guidelines for researchers

Question 25

Informed Consent

Answer 25

-all participants must be informed about what their participation requires; right to withdraw at any time

Question 26

Confidentiality

Answer 26

-all data must be kept confidential

Question 27

Debriefing

Answer 27

-informing participants about the purpose and methods of the study after the study is completed

Question 28

Deception

Answer 28

-controversial! If used in a study, researchers must have a valid reason to use it and debrief participants following completion of the study

Question 29

Descriptive Statistics

Answer 29

-mathematical procedures that are used to describe and summarize sets of data in a meaningful way

Question 30

Mean

Answer 30

-the average of the sample

Question 31

Median

Answer 31

-the middle score in a sample

Question 32

Mode

Answer 32

-the most common score in a sample

Question 33

Range

Answer 33

-the difference between the highest and lowest scores

Question 34

Standard Deviation

Answer 34

-how much scores in a sample differ from the mean of the sample

Question 35

Inferential Statistics

Answer 35

-mathematical methods that are used to indicate whether results for a sample are likely to generalize to a population