Research Methods Flashcards
Descriptive Study
Describes a set of facts
Does not look for relationships or predict anything .
Naturalistic observation
Direct observation in natural habitat
Case Study
In depth detail description of single individual.
Survey
Investigate opinions, behaviors, characteristics of a particular group.
Longitudinal Study
Examining a group of people over a long period of time. (Same people)
Cross Sectional
Measures a cross section of people
Like a longitudinal but different people.
Correlational Study
Predict relationships
Correlation does not prove causation.
Positive correlation
Both are going in same direction (both increase of both decrease)
Negative Correlation
2 factors vary in opposite directions
Illusionary Correlation
Perception of relationship where non-exist (superstitions)
Experimental Research
Demonstrate a cause and effect relationship
Independent variable
What being changed
Dependent relationships
What is being measured (result)
Confounding variables (extraneous variables)
Factors not focus of the experiment that effect the results.
Random assigment
People are randomly assigned into groups
Control group
Baseline
Experimental group
Who is getting the IV
Double-blind experiment
Both participant and researcher do not know what group the participants are in.
Placebo
Sugar pill——-you feel better because you think you should.
Operational Definitions
Precise definitions of the variables.
Demand Characteristics
Subtle cues by researches that communicate with participants and can effect results.
Practice effect
change in performance that results from repetition.
Hawthorne effects
People don’t act the same when being observed.
Mode
Most frequent
Mean
Average
Median
Middle
Positive Skew
Tail goes in positive direction, (most scores are on the low end.)
Negative Skew
Tail goes in negative direction. (most scores in the higher end)
Inferential Stat..
Guide us to what conclusions we can make.
Descriptive Stats
Describes the data.
Normal disribution
Symmetrical (mean = mode = median)
Statistically significant
There was a enough of a change that there is a 5% chance that the results could have happened by chance. (Results were probably caused by IV)
Range
HIgh-low
Standard Deviation
Takes all the data and figures out how spread out the data is.
Experimental Ethics
Guidelines to protect participants.
Informed Consent, No deception (unless needed), Confidentiality, debriefed, students are not forced)
APA, IRB, IACUC
Protects participants, reviews the experiment write up before it is carried out and says if you can do it or not.
