Research Methods

Question 0

Representativeness heuristics

Answer 0

Involves judging a probability of an event by its superficial similarity to a prototype.

Question 1

Heuristics

Answer 1

Mental shortcuts that help us to streamline our thinking and make sense of the world.

Question 2

Base rate

Answer 2

How common a characteristic or behaviour is in the general population.

Question 3

Availability heuristic

Answer 3

Involves estimating the likelihood of an occurrence based on the ease with which it comes to our minds.

Question 4

Cognitive biases

Answer 4

Systematic errors in thinking

Question 5

Hindsight bias

Answer 5

Tendency to overestimate how well we could have successfully forecasted known outcomes.

Question 6

Overconfidence

Answer 6

Tendency to overestimate our ability to make correct predictions.

Question 7

Naturalistic observation

Answer 7

Watching behaviour in real world settings

Question 8

External validity

Answer 8

The extent to which we generalise findings to real world settings.

Question 9

Internal validity

Answer 9

The extent to which we can draw cause and effect inferences from a study

Question 10

Case study

Answer 10

Research design that examines one person or a small number of people in depth, often over a period of time.

Question 11

Existence proofs

Answer 11

Demonstrations that a given psychological phenomenon can occur.

Question 12

Correlational design

Answer 12

Research design that examines the extent to which two variables are associated.

Question 13

Scatter plot

Answer 13

Grouping of points on a two-dimensional graph in which each dot represents a single persons data.

Question 14

Illusory correlation

Answer 14

Perception of a statistical association between two variables where none exists.

Question 15

Experiment

Answer 15

Research design characterised by random assignment of participants to conditions and manipulation of an independent variable

Question 16

Random assignment

Answer 16

Randomly sorting participants into two groups

Question 17

Experimental group

Answer 17

In an experiment, the group of participants that receives the manipulation

Question 18

Control group

Answer 18

In an experiment, the group of participants that does not receive the manipulation

Question 19

Independent variable

Answer 19

Variable that the experimenter manipulates

Question 20

Dependent variable

Answer 20

Variable that an experimenter measures to see whether the manipulation has an effect

Question 21

Confound

Answer 21

Any difference between the experimental and control groups other than the independent variable.

Question 22

Placebo effect

Answer 22

Improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement

Question 23

Meta-analysis

Answer 23

Investigation of the consistency of patterns of results across large numbers of studies conducted in different laboratories.

Question 24

File drawer problem

Answer 24

Tendency for negative findings to remain unpublished

Question 25

Blind

Answer 25

Unaware of whether one is in the experimental or control group.

Question 26

Nocebo effect

Answer 26

Harm resulting from the mere expectation of harm.

Question 27

The experimenter expectancy effect

Answer 27

Phenomenon in which researchers hypotheses lead them to unintentionally bias the outcome of the study.

Question 28

Double blind

Answer 28

When neither researchers nor participants are aware of who is in the control group.

Question 29

Reliability

Answer 29

Consistency of measurement

Question 30

Validity

Answer 30

Extent to which a measure assesses what it purports to measure.

Question 31

Psychotherapy

Answer 31

A psychological intervention designed to help people to resolve emotional, behavioural and interpersonal problems and improve the quality of their lives

Question 32

Paraprofessional

Answer 32

Person with no professional training who provides mental health services

Question 33

Insight therapies

Answer 33

Psychotherapies, including psychodynamic and humanistic-existential approaches, with the goal of expanding awareness or insight.

Question 34

Free association

Answer 34

Technique in which patients express themselves without censorship of any sort.

Question 35

Resistance

Answer 35

Attempts to avoid confrontation and anxiety associated with uncovering previously previously repressed thoughts, emotions and impulses.

Question 36

Transference

Answer 36

Projecting intense, unrealistic feelings and expectations from the past onto the therapist.

Question 37

Work through

Answer 37

To confront and resolve problems, conflicts and ineffective coping responses in everyday life.

Question 38

Interpersonal therapy

Answer 38

Treatment that strengthens social skills and targets interpersonal problems, conflicts and life transitions.

Question 39

Humanistic-existential psychotherapy

Answer 39

Therapy with an emphasis on the development of human potential and the belief that human nature is basically positive.

Question 40

Phenomenological approach

Answer 40

Perspective in which therapists encounter patients in terms of subjective phenomena (thoughts, feelings) in the present moment.

Question 41

Person-centred therapy

Answer 41

Therapy centring on the patients goals and ways of solving problems.

Question 42

Gestalt therapy

Answer 42

Therapy that aims to integrate different and sometimes opposing aspects of personality into a unified sense of self

Question 43

Experiential therapies

Answer 43

Interventions that recognise the importance of awareness, acceptance and expression of feelings.