Research Methods Flashcards
Scientific Method
1) Theory
2) Hypothesis
3) Research Method
4) Collect Data
5) Analyze Data
6) Report Findings
7) Revise Theories
Paradigm Shift
A dramatic change in the way we think
Anecdotal Evidence
Evidence gathered from others or self-experience
Independent Variable
Manipulated by the scientist
Dependent Variable
Observed by the scientist
Control Groups
- Does not receive manipulation
- Help to further manipulate the independent variable while measuring the effects on the dependent variable
Experimental Group
Receives a manipulation of the independent variable
Within-Subjects Design
- Manipulating independent variable within each participant to minimize effect of external variables on the dependent variable
Practice Effect
Improved performance over the course of an experiment due to becoming more experienced
Between-Subjects Design
One group receives experimental manipulation, while the other is the control group
Confounding Variable
A variable other than the independent variable that has an effect on the results
Sample
- Members of the population that data is collected from.
- The best sample is a random sample
Random Sample
- Choosing a sample at random from the entire population
- Reduces bias towards a specific group; hard to achieve
Random Assignment
Assigning subjects to either the experimental or control group at random to avoid any biases that may cause differences between the groups of subjects
Placebo Effect
Effect that occurs when an individual exhibits a response to a treatment that has no related therapeutic effect
Participant Bias
When a participant’s actions in an experiment influence the results outside of the manipulations of the experimenter
Blinding
When participants do not know whether they belong to the experimental or control group, or which treatment they are receiving
Experimenter Bias
Actions made by the experimenter to promote the result they hope to achieve
Double-blind Experiments
Experiments in which neither experimenter or participant know which group each participant belongs to
Descriptive Statistics
Presents information that gives an overall idea of the results of the experiment; mean, median, mode
Histograms
Visual summarizations of data (pie chart, bar graph…); type of graph used to report the number of times groups of values appear in a data set
Frequency Distribution
Type of graph illustrating the distribution of how frequently values appear in the data set
Normal Distribution
A distribution with a characteristic smooth, symmetrical, bell-shaped curve containing a single peak
Mean
Tells us where a data set is centred; average value of a data set
Mode
The value that appears most frequently (most common) in the set
Median
Centre value in a data set when the set is arranged numerically
Measures of Variability
Reviews the spread and distribution of a data set
Standard Deviation
- Measure of the average distance of each point from the mean
- Smaller spread = smaller SD
- Larger spread = larger SD
Inferential Statistics
Allow us to use results from samples to make inferences about overall populations
T-test
Can be used to compare the difference between the data from the control and experimental groups
P-Value
Expresses the probability calculated by the t-test
Statistical Significance
When the difference between two groups is due to some true difference between the properties of the 2 groups and not simply due to random variation
Observational Research
Observes the effect of variables one is interested in without performing any explicit manipulation; follows the scientific method
Correlation
Measure of the strength of the relationship between 2 variables; not always meaningful
Correlation Coefficient (r)
\+1 = perfect positive correlation. -1 = perfect negative correlation 0 = no relationship between the 2 variables
Operational Definitions
Something that can be objectively measured
Empiricism
Knowledge should be based on actual observation, and not solely reason
Inductive Reasoning
Allows us to build theories based on various incidents of observed phenomena converging on a hypothesis; facts to theory
Deductive Reasoning
Allows us to make predictions about certain phenomena based on the claims of a theory; tests theory
Simple Correlation
Measure of the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables
Positive Correlation
As the value of one variable increases, the value of the other also increases
Negative Correlation
Increasing values on one variable are associated with decreasing values on the other
Binary Variables
Have two possible values
Constant Variables
One possible value
Social Desirability Bias
Answering questions in order to appeal to society’s standards
Response Sets
A tendency to respond to questions in a certain way, regardless of the content
