Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

Steps of the Scientific method

A
  1. Study existing collection of information
  2. Create a Theory
  3. Create a hypothesis based on the theory
  4. Select a research method
  5. report findings to others in formal presentations
  6. Revise Theory
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2
Q

Def: Theory

A

A general set of ideas about the way the world works

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3
Q

Def: Hypothesis

A

A statement which makes a specific prediction about the relationship between variables involved in the theory

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4
Q

Def: Paradigm Shift

A

Particularly dramatic change in our way of thinking

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5
Q

Def: Anecdotal Evidence

A

Evidence gathered from others’ or one’s own experience

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6
Q

Def: Experiment

A

Scientific tool used to measure the effect of one variable on another

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7
Q

Def: Experiment Group

A

Group receiving a manipulation of the independent variable

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8
Q

Def: Control Group

A

Receives no manipulation of the independent variable

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9
Q

Def: Within-participants experimental Design

A

Manipulating the IV within each participant to minimize the effects of participant differences on the dependent measure

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10
Q

Disadvantages to a within-participant design

A

Time consuming, costly, participants may change in important ways throughout the experiment, practice effect

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11
Q

Def: Between-participants experimental design

A

one group of participants receive the experimental manipulation while the other acts as the control

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12
Q

Def: Confounding variable

A

any variable associated with the independent variable that complicates the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable

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13
Q

Def: Population

A

The general group of people we are trying to learn about

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14
Q

Def: Sample

A

The selected members of the population that we actually collect data from - must accurately reflect the population itself in order for the results to be generalizable

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15
Q

Def: Random assignment

A

Participants are randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group

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16
Q

Def: Placebo Effect

A

When an individual exhibits a response to a treatment that in reality has no related therapeutic effect

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17
Q

Def: Participant Bias

A

How participants expectations about experimental manipulation could influence the results of the experiment

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18
Q

Def: Blinding

A

When participants do not know whether they belong to the experimental or control group, or what treatment they are receiving

19
Q

Def: Experimenter Bias

A

actions made by the experimenter, intentionally or not, that influence the outcome of the experiment

20
Q

Def: Double-blind

A

an experiment where neither the experimenter nor the participants know which group each participant belongs to

21
Q

Def: Case Study

A

an in-depth investigation of an individual person or a small group of people, often over an extended period of time

22
Q

Def: Constant

A

a feature or quality that always takes the same value across all situations

23
Q

Def: Construct Validity

A

The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures particular hypothetical construct

24
Q

Def: Correlation

A

A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables

25
Q

Def: Correlation Coefficient

A

A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables

26
Q

Def: Descriptive Statistics

A

Statistics designed to describe the data collected - mean, median and standard deviation

27
Q

Def: Empiricism

A

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 hoe the world ought to be

28
Q

Def: Histogram

A

Type of graph used to report the number of times groups of values appear in a data set

29
Q

Def: Normal distribution

A

a distribution with a characteristic smooth, symmetrical, bell-shaped curve containing a single peak

30
Q

Def: Measures of central tendency

A

Descriptive statistics that tell us where a data set is centered

31
Q

Def Mean

A

Add up all points divide by number of points in set - highly susceptible to influence of outliers

32
Q

Def: Mode

A

Value that appears most - can be used for non-numerical data sets

33
Q

Def: Median

A

The center value in a data set when the set is arranged numerically - if two centers average between them

34
Q

Def: Measures of variability

A

a measure that reviews the spread and distribution of a data set

35
Q

Def: Standard deviation

A

A measure of the average distance of each point from the mean - larger = more spread out

36
Q

Def: Inferential Statistics

A

Statistics that allow us to use results form samples to make inferences about overall, underlying populations

37
Q

Def: T-Test

A

Can be used to compare the difference between the data from the control and experiment group, produces a p-value

38
Q

Indication of p values

A

a p-value of less than 0.05 indicates that less than 5% probability that they could have found the observed difference between groups purely by chance

39
Q

Def: Statistical Significant

A

it is very likely that the results is due to some true difference between the properties of two groups being compared

40
Q

Def: Type 1 error

A

when we conclude there is a difference when no difference actually exists - false alarm

41
Q

Def: Type 2 error

A

When we conclude there is no difference when a difference actually exists - a miss

42
Q

Def: Naturalistic Observation

A

A descriptive research method in which the researcher engages observation of behavior in the real-world settings

43
Q

Def: Reliability

A

The measurement consistency of a test

44
Q

Def: social desirability bias

A

The tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself