Scientific Method - Chapter 2 Flashcards
What is Empiricism?
idea that true knowledge comes from observations rather than intuition
Theory is…
a collection of interrelated ideas and observations that describe, explain and predict behaviour or mental processes.
Define Scientific Method in Psychology
the process used to discover knowledge about human behaviour and mental process
Explain Step 1 of Scientific Method: state the problem
psychologists must ask specific questions that can be answered
Define Step 2 of Scientific Method: develop a hypothesis
testable prediction regarding the answer to the question that has been posed, often emerge from theory
Explain Step 3 of Scientific Method: design the study
identify key variables, method of investigation, types of participants
Explain Step 4 of Scientific Method: collect and analyze data
summarize the data, techniques must be selected that do not bias the results
Explain Step 5 of Scientific Method: draw conclusions and report results
report results to scientific community, presentations, publish in journal
Why are good research designs important?
- helps eliminate bias
- avoids subjective impressions
Heuristics are…
mental shortcuts that can oversimplify reality
Scientists develop theory through the…
scientific method
What is the representativeness heuristic?
estimating the likelihood of an event by comparing it to an existing stereotype that already exists in our minds
What is the Availability Heuristic?
mental shortcut where we estimate the likelihood of an occurrence based on how easily it comes to our minds
What is Hindsight bias?
tendency for people to perceive past events as more predictable than they actually were
What is overconfidence bias?
tendency for people to be more confident in their own abilities than is objectively true
How do we avoid biases and heuristics?
- test specific hypothesis
- know that theories can not be proven, but hypothesis can be
Psychological research often takes the form of…
an experiment
What are two vital components to the experimental method?
- random assignment
- manipulation of the independent variable
What is a variable?
a characteristic of a situation or a person that is subject to change
The Independent Variable is…
manipulated by the experimenter
The dependent variable is…
the behaviour or response that is expected to change
Is the statement: IV affects DV, true?
Yes
What is a sample?
a limited number of people that can represent a population
What is the operational definition of a variable?
clear, concise and detailed definition of measure that is used in the study
Does the experimental group receive the IV?
Yes
Does the control group receive the IV?
No
What is the Placebo effect?
when a persons physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a placebo treatment
Should participants of an experiment be blind to the hypothesis?
YES
What is the Nocebo Effect?
when negative expectations of a patient regarding a treatment cause the treatment to have a negative effect
What is a Case Study?
method of interviewing participants to gain information about their background
What is the advantage of a Case Study?
a lot of data is collected on patient
What is the disadvantage of the case study?
the unique subject of the case study may not allow findings to be generalized
Researchers must ___ their impact on the experiment
minimize
Naturalistic observation is…
observation of events from a distance
A survey is…
method in which researchers prepare written questionnaire or interview individuals by telephone or face to face
What is the disadvantage of survey research method?
self reported, can be unreliable
a correlational study attempts to determine…
the strength of the relationship between two variables
Two events that are correlated are not necessarily…
related casually
an ex post facto study is…
when researchers want to compare groups of individuals with pre-existing differences
correlation coefficient can range from ….
-1.00 to +1.00
in a negative correlation…
as scores on one variables increase, scores on another variable decrease
in a positive correlation…
as scores of one variable increase, the score of other variable increase
inferential statistics are used to…
determine if results obtained are statistically significant
Ethnocentrism is…
the bias that individuals, groups and institutions recognize their outlook as the only valid point
what is ethics in research?
the rules concerning proper and acceptable conduct that investigators use to guide their research
must human participants give researcher their informed consent prior to study?
YES
What is the event called after a study which informs participants about true nature of an experiment?
debriefing
