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Psychology 1X03 > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

Operational definitions

A

describes the actions that will be made to objectively measure or control a value

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2
Q

Paradigm

A

set of assumptions and ideas about what kind of research questions can be asked and how they can be answers

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3
Q

Parsimony

A

when there are two otherwise equally good explanations for a certain phenomenon, the simplest explanation is preferred; generally makes fewer assumptions

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4
Q

Natural order

A

the attribution of the same effects to the same causes

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5
Q

Generalizability

A

the same causes that produce our effects in the lab also produce those effects in everyday life situations

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6
Q

Conservatism

A

scientists tend to support the current explanation until new facts accumulate that the current explanation can’t explain

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7
Q

Empiricism

A

approach that emphasizes that knowledge should be based on actual observation and not reason alone

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8
Q

Inductive reasoning

A

move from a collection of specific observations (facts) to a theory that allows us to describe how the observations are related

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9
Q

Deductive reasoning

A

making specific predictions about situations or events that we have not yet observed directly

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10
Q

Process of scientific investigation

A
  • adopt a theory
  • generate hypothesis
  • choose research method
  • collect data
  • analyze data
  • report findings
  • revise existing theories
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11
Q

Theory

A

general set of ideas on the way that the world works

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12
Q

Hypothesis

A

set of testable statements; makes a specific prediction about the relationship between variables involved in the theory

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13
Q

Reliability

A

ability of any test to give the same output when the same input is entered

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14
Q

Validitiy

A

ability of a test to measure what we intend to measure

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15
Q

Case studies

A

detailed examination of one particular individual; can provide some initial facts

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16
Q

Correlational studies

A

looking at existing relationships between pairs of variables

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17
Q

Correlation

A

measure of the direction and strength of the relationship; can be positive, negative, or zero

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18
Q

Line of best fit

A

straight line which comes as close as possible to all the points on the graph, and shows any positive or negative trends

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19
Q

Experiment

A

procedure of choice used to systematically study a problem

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20
Q

Within-subjects design

A

manipulating the independent variable within each participant to minimize the effect of external variables on the dependent measure

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21
Q

Practice effect

A

improved performance over the course of an experiment due to becoming more experienced

22
Q

Binary variables

A

only two possible values; eg. on/off

23
Q

Independent variable

A

variable that the researcher will manipulate

24
Q

Dependent variable

A

measure by the researchers to see the effect of the independent variable

25
Q

Confounding variables

A

researcher did not manipulate, but still affected the outcome of the experiment

26
Q

Control group

A

receives no manipulation of the independent variable

27
Q

Experimental group

A

receives a manipulation of the independent variable

28
Q

Experiment research advantages

A

allows researchers to develop cause and effect explanations; gives the ability to say why something happened

29
Q

Experiment research disadvantages

A

may be little resemblance between the controlled conditions in the laboratory and the real world

30
Q

Direct observation

A

if done in natural environment, then there is reduced artificiality; can allow for long periods of data collection; useful when little is known about subject or phenomenon

31
Q

Interviews

A

often one-on-one which allows for clarification questions; can gather information on behaviours otherwise difficult to observe

32
Q

Questionnaire

A

can gather information on behaviours otherwise difficult to observe, usually relatively simple, allows for collection by someone else

33
Q

Population

A

all of the individuals that meet your criteria

34
Q

Sample

A

the subset of the population you’re interested in that you examine; must be randomly sampled

35
Q

Random assignment

A

randomly deciding which group any particular participant is assigned; allows us to compare between different conditions of the experiment

36
Q

Descriptive statistics

A

used to organize and summarize data, based entirely on the available data; uses measures of central tendency

37
Q

Frequency distribution

A

type of graph illustrating the distribution of how frequently values appear in the data set

38
Q

Normal distribution

A

distribution with a characteristic smooth, symmetrical, bell-shaped curve with one peak

39
Q

Inferential statistics

A

assess how likely it is that the sample data are an accurate reflection of the population as a whole, require inferences to be made

40
Q

Variability

A

the extent to which the scores in a data set tend to vary from each other and the mean; the lower it is, the more likely the difference is from independent variable manipulation

41
Q

Standard deviation

A

measure of the variability of a set of data; the expected difference between any randomly selected datum and the mean of the set

42
Q

Statistical significance

A

when the difference between two groups is due to some true difference between the properties of the two groups, and not simply due to random variation

43
Q

T-test

A

statistical test that considers each data point from both groups to calculate the probability that two samples were drawn from the same population

44
Q

P-value

A

value expressing the probability calculated by the T-test; > 0.05 then it is not significant

45
Q

Replication

A

the repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results can be duplicated

46
Q

Type I error

A

concluding that independent variable manipulation had an effect, when, in reality, any difference between groups is the result of sampling error

47
Q

Type II error

A

concluding that independent variable manipulation had no effect, when, in reality, it did

48
Q

Placebo effect

A

when an individual exhibits an effect to a perceived treatment when no treatment is actually given

49
Q

Social desirability bias

A

a tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself

50
Q

Reponse sets

A

a tendency to respond to questions in a particular way regardless of the content

51
Q

Blind

A

subject is unaware of the group condition to which they have been assigned

52
Q

Double-blind

A

both the subject and the experimenter are unaware of group assignment

Psychology 1X03 (11 decks)

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