Research Methods Flashcards
Hindsight bias
Belief that outcome was foreseeable (after it occurred)
What is a Falsifiable theory
Falsifiable means you can get info that supports the theory and does not support the theory
What should a good hypothesis include
- Your variable
- The predicted relationship between those variables
Operational Definition
A description of a property in measurable terms
Correlational Design
Measure how closely two variables vary together or how well you can predict a change in one variable from observing a change in the other variable
What are the two variables in a correlational design called
Predictor variable
Criterion/ Outcome variable
Drawbacks of correlational design
Correlation cannot infer causations
Benefits of correlational design
Can sometimes be a more ethical approach
Positive correlation
Both variables either increase or decrease together
Negative Correlation
One variable increases when the other decreases
Zero correlation
One variable is not predictably related to the other
Variable
Any property with values that can vary across individuals or over time
Albert Bandura Social learning theory
People learn from one another via observation, imitation, and modeling
Experimental Research
To show that “X causes Y” we need to manipulate (or change the value of) X and observe it effect on y
Benefits of experimental design
Can infer causation
Drawbacks of experimental design
May be impractical or unethical to address certain types of research question using an experimental design
Independent Variable (IV)
Factor that varied or manipulated
Dependent variable (DV)
The behavior that is measured (and is expected to change as a function of change of the independent variable)
Random assignment
Assigning participants to randomly experimental conditions (or levels of the IV)
Population
Everyone in the group the experimenter is interested in
Sample
A subset of the population
Random sampling
Every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected
Convenience Sampling
the sample consists of people who are conveniently available for the study
Placebo effect
When receiving special treatment or something new affects human behavior
Experimenter Bias
The experimenters expectations influence the outcome of a study
Double blind experiment
- The researcher is blind to the condition to the subject is participating in
- The participant is blind to the conditions of the experiment
Demand characteristics
Participants form an interpretation of the experiments purpose and subconsciously change their behavior to fit that interpretation
