Skill Terms 2nd Half

Question 1

peer review

Answer 1

the evaluation of scientific or academic work, such as research or articles submitted to journals for publication, by other qualified professionals practicing in the same field

Question 2

variables

Answer 2

anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure

Question 3

correlational study

Answer 3

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

Question 4

survey

Answer 4

a non experimental technique for obtaining the self reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

Question 5

self report bias

Answer 5

bias when people report their behavior inaccurately

Question 6

social desirability bias

Answer 6

bias from people’s responding in ways they presume a researcher expects or wishes

Question 7

ethical procedures

Answer 7

Informed consent, confidentiality, right to withdraw, no deception or if used must be debriefed, protection from harm or discomfort

Question 8

institutional review boards

Answer 8

a committee named by an agency or institution to review research proposals originating within that agency for ethical acceptability and compliance with the organization’s codes of conduct. IRBs help protect research participants and are mandatory at any U.S. institution receiving federal funds for research.

Question 9

informed consent

Answer 9

giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Question 10

protect participants from harm

Answer 10

ensures the safety and well-being of people involved in psychological research or interventions

Question 11

confidentiality

Answer 11

protection is given to research participants and survey respondents against unauthorized access to information they reveal in confidence

Question 12

deception

Answer 12

any distortion of or withholding of fact with the purpose of misleading others

Question 13

confederates

Answer 13

in an experimental situation, an aide of the experimenter who poses as a participant but whose behavior is rehearsed prior to the experiment

Question 14

debriefing

Answer 14

the postexperimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants

Question 15

measures of central tendency

Answer 15

a summary measure that attempts to describe a whole set of data with a single value that represents the middle or centre of its distribution

Question 16

variation

Answer 16

the degree of variance or dispersion of values that is obtained for a specific variable

Question 17

mean

Answer 17

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores

Question 18

median

Answer 18

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

Question 19

mode

Answer 19

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

Question 20

range

Answer 20

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Question 21

standard deviation

Answer 21

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Question 22

normal curve

Answer 22

a symmetrical, bell shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes

Question 23

skewness

Answer 23

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value

Question 24

regression toward the mean

Answer 24

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back toward the average

Question 25

scatterplot

Answer 25

A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation

Question 26

correlation coefficient

Answer 26

a statistical index of the relationship between two things

Question 27

statistical significance

Answer 27

a statistical statement of how likely it is that a result occurred by chance, assuming there is no difference between the populations being studied