Research Methods Flashcards
Produces change in dependent variable
Independent variable
Provides a full picture of one individual or a small group
Case study
Carefully controlled method of research
Experiment
Gets none of independent variable
Control group
Expresses relationship between two variables
Hypothesis
Observe participants in natural habitat
Naturalistic observation
Ask people to fill out surveys
Survey method
Aims to explain some phenomenon
Theory
Strength of a correlation
Correlation coefficient
Explain how you will define a variable
Operational definition
Gets independent variable in an experiment
Experimental group
Relationship between 2 variables (how does A affect B?)
Correlational research
Each participant has equal chance of being placed in any group
Random assignment
Average of all scores
Mean
Normal bell-shaped curve
Normal distribution
Central score
Median
Score that appears most frequently
Mode
Group of participants
Sample
Square root of variance; expresses distance from median
Standard deviation
Determine if findings can be applied to a larger population from which the sample was selected
Inferential statistics
Give control group a fake to separate physiological effects from psychological effects
Placebo effect
Fake (such as a “drug” that actually has no effects)
Placebo
Distance btwn highest and lowest score
Range
Describe a set of data
Descriptive statistics
Participants must know they are involved, and must give permission
Informed consent
Experiment can be done again
Replication
Things that are influenced in an experiment
Variables
“I knew it all along”
Hindsight bias
Research with clear, practical applications
Applied research
Interest to psychologist, but not really applicable to real world
Basic research
Accurate
Validity
Consistent
Reliable
Anyone or anything that could be selected for the sample
Population
Represents a larger population
Representative sample
Process that allows researcher to make sure that sample represents the population
Stratified sampling
Things that could affect dependent variable, but isn’t independent variable
Confounding variable
Unconsciously treating groups differently so as to get desired results
Experimenter bias
Simply selecting group affects the performance of the group
Hawthorne effect
Measure distance of score from mean in units of standard deviation
Z-score
Measures significance of results (smaller=more significant)
P value
Participants told purpose of study and provided ways to get results
Debriefing
Depends on independent variable
Dependent variable
