Research Enterprise in Pschology

Question 1

Assumes events governed by lawful order, which can be uncovered

Answer 1

scientific approach

Question 2

system of interrelated ideas used to explain set of observations

Answer 2

theory

EXAMPLE: low self esteem feeds depression

Question 3

the 5 step process

Answer 3

Formulate testable hypothesis
Design study, using appropriate research method
Collect data
Analyze data; draw conclusions
Report findings

Question 4

Tentative statement about relationship between 2 or more variables (measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviors controlled or observed)

Answer 4

Need operational definitions (actions or operations used to measure or control variables)

Question 5

People with low self-esteem score will score higher on depression scale

Answer 5

Notice self-esteem & depression operationally defined by score on self-esteem & depression scales

Question 6

people or animals whose behavior is systematically observed

Answer 6

participants (subject)

Question 7

collection of people or animals that researchers what to generalize about

Answer 7

population

Question 8

participants selected for study

Want random sample because each member has equal & independent chance of inclusion to ensure population is fairly represented

Answer 8

sample

Question 9

exists when sample is not representative of population

Answer 9

sampling bias

Question 10

Describes behavior

Case studies, surveys, & naturalistic observation

Answer 10

descriptive research (description)

Question 11

Predicts behavior (shows relationship)

Answer 11

correlation relationship (correlation)

Question 12

Explains behavior (shows cause &; effect)

Answer 12

experimental research (experimentation)

Question 13

In-depth investigation of 1 participant

Often look to collection of case studies for patterns that permit general conclusions

Answer 13

case study

Question 14

Gather info about specific aspects of participants’ backgrounds, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors, using questionnaires or interviews

Answer 14

survey

Question 15

tendency to give socially-approved answers about self

Answer 15

social desirability bias

Question 16

overall evaluation of person, object, or institution can spill over to influence more specific ratings because difficult to judge specific, evaluative dimensions independently

Answer 16

halo effect

Question 17

Careful, usually prolonged, observation of behavior in natural setting, without direct intervention

Answer 17

naturalistic observation

Question 18

participants’ behaviors altered by presence of observer

Answer 18

reactivity

Question 19

Statistical measure of relationship between 2 variables

Answer 19

Shows how well either predicts other

If 2 variables are related, said to be correlated

Question 20

Numerical index of degree of relationship
Separate sign; number because reveal 2 things
Sign tells direction of relationship (slope)
+ (vary together) or – (vary inversely)
Number tells strength of relationship (scatter)
0.00 (no relationship) to 1.00 (strongest/perfect relationship)

Answer 20

correlation coefficient

Question 21

High scores on X associated with high scores on Y.

Low scores on X associated with low scores on Y.

Answer 21

positive correlation

Question 22

High scores on X associated with low scores on Y.Low scores on X associated with high scores on Y.

Answer 22

negative correlation

Question 23

low self esteem could cause

Answer 23

depression

Question 24

depression could cause

Answer 24

low self esteem

Question 25

distressing events or biological predisposition

Answer 25

low self esteem and depression

Question 26

Explains behavior by showing cause & effect

Answer 26

experimental research

Question 27

condition/event varied in order to see its impact on another variable (DV)

Answer 27

Independent variable/IV (manipulated)

Question 28

variable thought to be affected by manipulation of IV

Answer 28

Dependent variable/DV (measured)

Question 29

group(s) exposed to treatment in regard to IV

Answer 29

Experimental group(s)

Question 30

group not exposed to treatment to contrast/compare with experimental group(s)

Answer 30

control group

Question 31

Levels of IV = control + experimental groups

Answer 31

Ex. 1 control + 2 experimental groups = 3 levels

Question 32

to groups to help control for extraneous variables (so can infer cause & effect)

All participants have equal chance of being assigned to any group
Assigning to experimental & control groups by chance minimizes pre-existing differences between groups

Answer 32

random assignment

Question 33

to help generalize to population

Answer 33

randomly sample

Question 34

– participants’ expectations lead them to experiences some change even though receive empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment

Answer 34

placebo effect

Question 35

expectations or preferences about outcome of study influence results

Answer 35

experimenter bias

Question 36

(neither participants nor experimenters know who is assigned to which groups)

Answer 36

(minimizes with) double blind procedure

Question 37

procedures for making empirical observations & measurements

Answer 37

data collection techniques

slide 19

Question 38

Use statistics &; draw conclusions based on data

Answer 38

Differences more reliable when sample is representative, when data is less variable,; when number of participants (represented by “n”) is higher
Look for statistical significance – statement of how likely result occurred by chance (If statistically significant, changes in DV caused by IV, not chance)

Question 39

personal stories about specific incidents &; experiences, which can be inaccurate &; unrepresentative due to low n & sampling bias

Answer 39

Anecdotal evidence

Question 40

tendency to believe, after learning outcome, that knew it all along

Answer 40

hindsight bias

Question 41

perceive relationship where none exists (random sequences often do not look random)

Answer 41

illusory correlation

Question 42

Make findings public in journals (periodicals that publish technical & scholarly material, usually in narrowly-defined areas of inquiry)

Answer 42

Peer-review process helps ensure high-quality, reliable findings

Question 43

observers are trained to watch and record behavior and precisely as possible. they may use an instrument like a stop watch or a recorder

Answer 43

direct observation

Question 44

repetition of study to see whether earlier results are duplicated

Answer 44

replication

Question 45

combines statistical results of many studies of same question, yielding estimate of size & consistency of variables’ effects

Answer 45

meta-analysis

Question 46

subjects are administered a series of written questions designed to obtain information about attitudes, opinions, and different aspects of their behavior

Answer 46

questionnaire

Question 47

a face to face dialogue is conducted to obtain information about specific aspects of a subjects behavior

Answer 47

interview

Question 48

subjects are administered a standardized measure to obtain a sample of their behavior.

Answer 48

psychological test

Question 49

an instrument is used to record a specific physiological process in a subject. (measure of blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, brain activity)

Answer 49

physiological recording

Question 50

the researcher analyzes existing institutional records (medical, educational, business, etc.)

Answer 50

examination of archival records