Psychology Key Words (Paper 1) Flashcards
Opportunity Sample
A sample of participants produced by selecting people who are more easily available at the time of the study
Volunteer Sample
A sample of participants produced by asking for people willing to take part
Stratified Sample
Participants are selected from different subgroups (aka. Strata) in the target population in proportion to the subgroup’s frequency in that population
Random Sample
A sample of participants produced using a random technique such that every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected
Ranked scale
A kind of closed question where respondents are asked to give an assessment of their views using a scale
Open question
Questions that invites respondents to provide their own answers
Closed question
Questions that have a fixed number of possible answers
Questionnaire
Respondents record their own answers, the questions are predetermined, they are provided in written form and there is no face-to-face contact with the other person
independent measures
participants only take part in one condition of the study
repeated measures
all participants take part in every condition of the study
overt observation
when the participants know that they are being observed
covert observation
when the participants don’t know that they are being observed
inter-rater reliability
when there are more than one observers in the study/ the study is filmed and reviewed after. this allows cross-checking and improves reliability and validity
observer bias
when observers misinterpret the situation of the study
reductionism
experimental research requires identifying variables that may contribute to complex behaviour - and breaking it down into its simplest forms
holism
(opposite of reductionism) looking at things/ components as a whole
lab experiment
study with independent and dependent variables, conducted in a very controlled environment
field experiment
study done in the environment they are testing in, improves ecological validity
reliability
ensuring that all procedures are the same for every participant so that their performances are comparable. refers to the consistency of measurements
generalisability
the extent to which findings and conclusions form a particular investigation can be broadly applied to the population
androcentric
male-centered, when ‘normal’ behaviour is judged according to male standards
quantitative data
information in numbers
qualitative data
information in words or pictures
mundane realism
refers to how an experiment mirrors the real world
standardisation
the procedures used in any study should be the same for each participant
ethnocentrism
judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture
demand characteristics
cues in a research situation that communicate to participants what is expected to them - this may unconsciously affect a person’s behaviour
ecological validity
concerns. theextent to which the findings from a research study can be generalised beyond the particular study
internal validity
measuring what the study is supposed to measure
concurrent validity
when you use multiple measures to imrpove the validity of the study
descriptive validity
high = when patients of the same diagnosis exhibit similar symptoms
Aetiological validity
high = when patients of same diagnosis share similar causal factors
Predictive validity
how well a diagnosis predicts future behaviour / outcome
test-retest reliability
assessed then re-assessed at a later time, with the same clinician diagnosing
