PYS101 LO2 Key Terms

Question 1

Theory

Answer 1

An organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain a specified set of phenomena and their interrelationships.

Question 2

Hypothesis

Answer 2

A statement that attempts to predict or to account for a set of phenomena; scientific hypotheses specify relationships among events or variables and are empirically tested.

Question 3

Peer review

Answer 3

Experts in the field who evaluate and scrutinize the research findings.

Question 4

Representative sample

Answer 4

A group of subjects, selected from a population for study, which matches the population on important characteristics such as age and sex.

Question 5

Descriptive methods

Answer 5

Methods that yield descriptions of behavior but not necessarily causal explanations.

Question 6

Case study

Answer 6

A detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated.

Question 7

Observational study

Answer 7

A study in which the researcher carefully and systematically observes and records behavior without interfering with the behavior; it may involve either naturalistic or laboratory observations.

Question 8

Naturalistic observation

Answer 8

Describes behavior as it occurs in the natural environment.

Question 9

Laboratory observation

Answer 9

Researchers use a controlled setting to observe behavior.

Question 10

Psychological tests

Answer 10

Procedures that explain behavior and personality in terms of unconscious energy dynamics with the individual.

Question 11

Ethics

Answer 11

Moral principles of conduct governing research. Research methods must meet American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines.

Question 12

Validity

Answer 12

The ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure.

Question 13

Surveys

Answer 13

Questionnaires and interviews that ask people directly about their experiences, attitudes, or opinions.

Question 14

Correlational study

Answer 14

A descriptive study that looks for a consistent relationship between two phenomena.

Question 15

Correlation

Answer 15

A measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another.

Question 16

Variables

Answer 16

Characteristics of behavior or experience that can be measured or described by a numeric scale.

Question 17

Experiment

Answer 17

A controlled test of a hypothesis in which the researcher manipulates one variable to discover its effect on another.

Question 18

Independent variable

Answer 18

A variable that an experimenter manipulates.

Question 19

Dependent variable

Answer 19

A variable that an experimenter predicts will be affected by manipulations of the independent variable.

Question 20

Experimental and control groups

Answer 20

Subjects in both groups are treated exactly the same, except they are not exposed to the same treatment, or manipulation of the independent variable.

Question 21

Single-blind study

Answer 21

An experiment in which subjects do not know whether they are in an experimental or a control group.

Question 22

Double blind study

Answer 22

An experiment in which neither the subjects nor the individuals running the study know which subjects are in the control group and which are in the experimental group until after the results are tallied.

Question 23

Descriptive statistics

Answer 23

Statistical procedures that organize and summarize research data.

Question 24

Inferential statistics

Answer 24

Statistical procedures that allow researchers to draw inferences about how statistically meaningful a study’s results are.

Question 25

Statistical significance

Answer 25

A term used to refer to a result that is extremely unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Question 26

Informed consent

Answer 26

The doctrine that human research subjects must participate voluntarily and must know enough about the study to make an intelligent decision about whether to participate.