Research Methods Flashcards
Steps of the Scientific method
- Study existing collection of information
- Create a Theory
- Create a hypothesis based on the theory
- Select a research method
- report findings to others in formal presentations
- Revise Theory
Def: Theory
A general set of ideas about the way the world works
Def: Hypothesis
A statement which makes a specific prediction about the relationship between variables involved in the theory
Def: Paradigm Shift
Particularly dramatic change in our way of thinking
Def: Anecdotal Evidence
Evidence gathered from others’ or one’s own experience
Def: Experiment
Scientific tool used to measure the effect of one variable on another
Def: Experiment Group
Group receiving a manipulation of the independent variable
Def: Control Group
Receives no manipulation of the independent variable
Def: Within-participants experimental Design
Manipulating the IV within each participant to minimize the effects of participant differences on the dependent measure
Disadvantages to a within-participant design
Time consuming, costly, participants may change in important ways throughout the experiment, practice effect
Def: Between-participants experimental design
one group of participants receive the experimental manipulation while the other acts as the control
Def: Confounding variable
any variable associated with the independent variable that complicates the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable
Def: Population
The general group of people we are trying to learn about
Def: Sample
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
Def: Random assignment
Participants are randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group
Def: Placebo Effect
When an individual exhibits a response to a treatment that in reality has no related therapeutic effect
Def: Participant Bias
How participants expectations about experimental manipulation could influence the results of the experiment
Def: Blinding
When participants do not know whether they belong to the experimental or control group, or what treatment they are receiving
Def: Experimenter Bias
actions made by the experimenter, intentionally or not, that influence the outcome of the experiment
Def: Double-blind
an experiment where neither the experimenter nor the participants know which group each participant belongs to
Def: Case Study
an in-depth investigation of an individual person or a small group of people, often over an extended period of time
Def: Constant
a feature or quality that always takes the same value across all situations
Def: Construct Validity
The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures particular hypothetical construct
Def: Correlation
A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables
Def: Correlation Coefficient
A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables
Def: Descriptive Statistics
Statistics designed to describe the data collected - mean, median and standard deviation
Def: Empiricism
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
Def: Histogram
Type of graph used to report the number of times groups of values appear in a data set
Def: Normal distribution
a distribution with a characteristic smooth, symmetrical, bell-shaped curve containing a single peak
Def: Measures of central tendency
Descriptive statistics that tell us where a data set is centered
Def Mean
Add up all points divide by number of points in set - highly susceptible to influence of outliers
Def: Mode
Value that appears most - can be used for non-numerical data sets
Def: Median
The center value in a data set when the set is arranged numerically - if two centers average between them
Def: Measures of variability
a measure that reviews the spread and distribution of a data set
Def: Standard deviation
A measure of the average distance of each point from the mean - larger = more spread out
Def: Inferential Statistics
Statistics that allow us to use results form samples to make inferences about overall, underlying populations
Def: T-Test
Can be used to compare the difference between the data from the control and experiment group, produces a p-value
Indication of p values
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
Def: Statistical Significant
it is very likely that the results is due to some true difference between the properties of two groups being compared
Def: Type 1 error
when we conclude there is a difference when no difference actually exists - false alarm
Def: Type 2 error
When we conclude there is no difference when a difference actually exists - a miss
Def: Naturalistic Observation
A descriptive research method in which the researcher engages observation of behavior in the real-world settings
Def: Reliability
The measurement consistency of a test
Def: social desirability bias
The tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself
