research methods (ch 2)

Question 1

what are the limits of experience, intuition, and authority figures?

Answer 1

We experience only one version of each situation.
○ Feelings don’t always tell us the truth
○ Authority figures are not all knowing

Question 2

what’s one reason we commonly make cognitive errors?

Answer 2

overuse of heuristics (mental shortcuts that can facilitate problem-solving and probability judgments; e.g. rules of thumb, stereotyping)

Question 3

what are the goals of psychological research (in order)?

Answer 3

describe (“what”), explain (“why”), predict (“anticipate”), and control (“change or modify”)
Don’t Ever Pet Crocodiles

Question 4

a set of propositions about what people do and why

Answer 4

theory

Question 5

what is a construct?

Answer 5

A skill, attribute, or ability that cannot be

directly observed

Question 6

what are the three types of research methods?

Answer 6

descriptive, correlational, experimental

Question 7

what is the goal of descriptive research?

Answer 7

to describe what is typical

Question 8

what are the three types of descriptive research?

Answer 8

observational, case studies, surveys/self-reports

Question 9

what’s the difference between naturalistic and participant observational studies?

Answer 9

naturalistic = The observer is passive (either covert or overt), no attempt to change or alter 
participant = observer is involved in situation

Question 10

what are three things you must consider for an observational study?

Answer 10

1. creating an operational definition (e.g. defining what “aggressive response” means)
2. tracking behavior (recording “aggressive response” via what? A scale of 1-10?)
3. situational features (e.g. are there parents around?)

Question 11

what type of sampling is this?: each member of a sample has an equal chance of being chosen

Answer 11

random sampling

Question 12

what kind of observational study is this?: intensive
examination of an unusual
person(s) or organization

Answer 12

case study

Question 13

what are the cons of the three types of observational study?

Answer 13

natural observation: difficult to code
case study: generalizability
self-report: accuracy of responses

Question 14

Occurs when measures of two variables are related, but are NOT causally
linked, usually because the statistical relationship is caused by a third
variable

Answer 14

spurious correlation

Question 15

What type of research is this?

• Measures how people typically think, feel, or behave
• cannot test relationships among variables
• can measure many variables

Answer 15

descriptive research

Question 16

What type of research is this?

• measures how variables are related to one another
• cannot identify causal direction of the relationship
• can measure many variables

Answer 16

correlational research

Question 17

what type of research is this?

• testing whether one variable causes another
• can only examine a few variables in one study; not all variables can be manipulated
• can establish a causal direction of relationship

Answer 17

experimental research

Question 18

something that makes it unclear what really causes the results of an experiment

Answer 18

confound

Question 19

an improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement

Answer 19

placebo effect

Question 20

actual change in the behavior of humans or nonhuman animals being observed that is due to the expectations of the research staff/observer

Answer 20

expectancy effects

Question 21

True or false: researchers should use a double-blind design in which neither researchers nor subjects know who is in the experimental or control group

Answer 21

true

Question 22

true or false: researchers can disguise the purpose of their study if the scientific merits are worth it

Answer 22

true

Question 23

what are strengths of experiments?

Answer 23

1. can show cause and effect

2. may eliminate confounding variables

Question 24

weaknesses of experiments?

Answer 24

1. results may not apply to real-world settings
   (generalizability)
2. the experiment may not be possible due to ethical or practical reasons

Question 25

which ethical principle?

do good, avoid harm

Answer 25

beneficence and nonmaleficence

Question 26

which ethical principle?

facilitate trust

Answer 26

fidelity and responsibility

Question 27

which ethical principle?

be honest and truthful

Answer 27

integrity

Question 28

which ethical principle?

be fair

Answer 28

justice

Question 29

which ethical principle?

view everyone as having worth and dignity

Answer 29

respect for people’s rights and dignity

Question 30

IRB stands for

Answer 30

Institutional review board

Question 31

Is using deception ever ethical in research?

Answer 31

only when other methods are not appropriate