Psychological Research - Module 1B

Question 1

archival research

Answer 1

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

Question 2

attrition

Answer 2

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

Question 3

cause-and-effect relationship

Answer 3

changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design

Question 4

clinical or case study

Answer 4

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

Question 5

confirmation bias

Answer 5

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

Question 6

confounding variable

Answer 6

Unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable cause changes in the other variable when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

Question 7

control group

Answer 7

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study – by holding factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups

Question 8

correlation

Answer 8

relationship between two or variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does

Question 9

correlation coefficient

Answer 9

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r.

Question 10

cross-sectional research

Answer 10

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time.

Question 11

debriefing

Answer 11

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion

Question 12

deception

Answer 12

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment

Question 13

deductive reasoning

Answer 13

results are predicted based on a general premise

Question 14

dependent variable

Answer 14

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had

Question 15

double-blind study

Answer 15

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

Question 16

empirical

Answer 16

grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing

Question 17

experimental group

Answer 17

group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to experimental manipulation rather than chance

Question 18

experimenter bias

Answer 18

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

Question 19

fact

Answer 19

objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research

Question 20

falsifiable

Answer 20

able to be disproven by experimental results

Question 21

generalize

Answer 21

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

Question 22

hypothesis

Answer 22

tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables

Question 23

illusory correlation

Answer 23

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationships exists

Question 24

independent variable

Answer 24

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the independent variable is the only important difference between the experimental and control group

Question 25

inductive reasoning

Answer 25

conclusions are drawn from obervations

Question 26

informed consent

Answer 26

process of informing a research participants about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate

Question 27

IACUC

Answer 27

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Question 28

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Answer 28

committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals

Question 29

IRB

Answer 29

Institutional Review Board

Question 30

Institutional Review Board

Answer 30

Committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants

Question 31

Inter-rater reliability

Answer 31

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event

Question 32

longitudinal research

Answer 32

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

Question 33

naturalistic observation

Answer 33

observation of behavior in its natural setting

Question 34

negative correlation

Answer 34

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a negative correlation is not the same thing as no correlation

Question 35

observer bias

Answer 35

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

Question 36

operational definition

Answer 36

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

Question 37

opinion

Answer 37

personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate

Question 38

participants

Answer 38

subjects of psychological research

Question 39

peer-reviewed journal article

Answer 39

article ready by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication

Question 40

placebo effect

Answer 40

people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation

Question 41

population

Answer 41

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

Question 42

positive correlation

Answer 42

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

Question 43

random assignment

Answer 43

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have equal chance of being assigned to either group

Question 44

random sample

Answer 44

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal change of being selected

Question 45

reliability

Answer 45

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

Question 46

replicate

Answer 46

repeating an experiment

Question 47

sample

Answer 47

subset of individuals selected from the larger population

Question 48

single-blind study

Answer 48

experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group

Question 49

statistical analysis

Answer 49

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

Question 50

survey

Answer 50

list of questions to be answered by research participants–given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally–allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people

Question 51

theory

Answer 51

well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

Question 52

validity

Answer 52

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure

Question 53

pre-experimental design

Answer 53

An experiment where you have the ability to manipulate independent variable

Question 54

True Experiment

Answer 54

An experiment where you are able to manipulate the ind. var., have a control group, and randomly assign subjects

Question 55

quasi-experimental design

Answer 55

An experiment where you can have a control group and manipulate the independent variable, but you can’t randomly assign subjects.