Research methods Flashcards
What is a theory
a general set of ideas about the way the world works
7 steps in the The Scientific Method
- Construct a theory
- Generate a hypothesis
- Chose research method
- Collect data
- Analyze data
- Report the findings
- Revise existing theories
What is a Hypothesis:
a testable statement guided by theories that make specific
- predictions about the relationship between variables
What is a research Method:
the way in which the hypothesis will be
tested
Whats it mean to collect Data
to take measurements of the outcomes of the test
Whats it mean to Analyze Data
to understand the data and discover trends or relationships between the variables
Whats it mean to Revise Theories
to incorporate new information into our understanding of the world
Paradigm Shift:
a dramatic shift in our way of thinking
What is a paradigm shift associated with
Revising the theory
What is Anecdotal Evidence:
evidence gathered from others or self experience
What is an independent Variable
variable manipulated by the scientist
What is a Dependent Variable:
variable being observed by the scientist
What is an experimental Group:
participants will receive a manipulation of the - independent variable
What is a control group
Receives no manipulation
People in control/experimental groups should….
should be as similar as possible minimizing the differences between them prior to the experiment
What is a Within Subject Design
manipulating the independent variable within each participant to minimize the effect of external variables on the dependent variable
- all the participants are exposed to every condition, control and experimental
What are negative effects of the within subject design
Improved performance over the course of an experiment due to becoming more experienced
Between Subject Design
Only one groups acts as the control and a different group as the experimental group
What is a confounding variable?
a variable other than then independent variable that has an effect on the results
What is a population when selecting participants
The general group of people you are trying to learn about
What is a sample when selecting participants?
elected people in the population to participate in the experiments and who we collect data from
why must the sample be from the population?
so the data can be generalized
What is a random sample:
choosing a sample at random from the entire population -
Why is it important to use random sampling
it reduces the chance that the selection might be biased towards a
specific group
