Research Methods Flashcards
The scientific method
Observation: what is happening?
Explanation: why might it be happening?
Hypothesis: a testable guess
Research: test that guess with a well-designed study
What do correlational methods do?
Measure two or more variables, test whether they’re associated with each other
What is a longitudinal study?
Two or more variables are measured repeatedly over time (i.e. two or more time points)
What are correlation coefficients?
Reveal details of variables’ relationship (strong/weak, positive/negative, etc.)
What is the third variable problem?
Two variables can be associated without any causal relationship, having a third variable be responsible for both (i.e. association between ice cream sales and homicide rates is related to temperature)
What are experimental methods?
Researcher takes active control, manipulating one or more variables and randomly assigning participants to conditions
What is an independent variable?
The variable the researcher manipulates; anticipated “causes”
What is a dependent variable?
The variable the research measures, anticipated to be affected by the independent variable
What is random assignment?
Each participant in an experiment has equal chance of landing in each condition
What is internal validity?
The confidence that the experimental results were being caused by the manipulated variables
What are confounds and how can they impact internal validity?
Confounds are anything that differs between the conditions other than the IV
Confounds cause uncertainty in causality; confounds could be the cause of the experimental results instead of the manipulated variable(s)
What is external validity?
The degree to which experimental results can generalize to other contexts
Why is there sometimes a trade-off between internal and external validity?
Isolation vs. application at large: experiments performed in a highly-controlled lab will produce a high level of internal validity but may not be generalizable to other contexts
What is the difference between mundane realism and experimental realism?
Mundane realism produces high ecological validity (generalizable to most contexts in the outside world) with less controlled, meaningful behavior, while experimental realism produces more meaningful behavior with fewer generalizable contexts
What is an operational definition?
The specific way a researcher measured or manipulated a variable
What is construct validity?
How well researchers measure or manipulate what they intended to measure or manipulate
What are key concerns when it comes to research ethics in social psychology? (2)
Potential harm to participants and deception
Why is deception utilized in social psychology research?
It ensures natural reactions to events in the study
What are potential issues with the use of deception? (3)
Lying is wrong
Limited informed consent can be received from participants
Causes discomfort/embarrassment in participants
How do researchers determine whether to use deception in their studies and why might deception be important?
Cost-benefit analysis by an unbiased party
Findings may be important for human welfare and warrant the use of deception
What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
A committee that reviews research at universities to ensure ethical conduct
Why is informed consent important?
Must provide participants with information about the study before they agree to participate
What is debriefing?
Informing participants about all aspects of the study AFTER the study is over (including any deception)
What is replication?
Conducting a study multiple times to see if the same results are found each time (similar effect sizes, etc.)
