Research Method Flashcards
Collect a general set of ideas about the way the world works
Theory
Form a testable statement guided by theories that makes specific predictions about the relationship between variables
Hypothesis
Determine the way in which the hypothesis will be tested
Research Methods
Take measurements of the outcomes of the test
Collect Data
Understand the data and discover trends or relationships between the variables
Analyze Data
Publish articles in scholarly journals
Report Findings
Incorporate new stuff information into our understanding of the world
Revise Theories
Evidence gathered from others’ or ones’ own experience
Anecdotal evidence
Scientific tool used to measure the effect of one variable on another
Experiment
Variables manipulated by the scientist
Independent variable
Variable being observed by the scientist
Dependent variable
A feature or quality that always takes the same value across all situations
Constant
The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct
Construct Validity
A group of individuals designed to serve as an accurate comparison in an experiment
Control group
A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables
Correlation
A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables
Correlation Coefficient
A variable that is measured in an experiment
Dependent Variable
Statistics designed to describe the data collected. Includes mean, median, and standard deviation.
Descriptive Statistics
Experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which group each participant belongs to.
Double-Blind Study
The philosophical perspective that states that knowledge should be gained by direct observation of the world as it is, as opposed to rational perspectives that used logic and reason to determine how the world ought to be.
Empiricism
The participants in a study who receive the manipulation in regard to the independent variable.
Experimental Group
Actions made by the experimenter, unintentionally or deliberately, to promote the result they hope to achieve.
Experimenter Bias
A variable that the researcher did not manipulate or measure, but that nonetheless could still affect the outcome of the experiment
Extraneous Variable