The Scientific Method in Psychology

Question 1

What is theory?

Answer 1

Explains behaviors or event by offering ideas that “organize” observations
(summarizes and simplifies)

Question 2

What are hypotheses?

Answer 2

testable predictions produced by a good theory
(specifies what results would support/disconfirm the theory)

Question 3

What are operational definitions?

Answer 3

a description of something in terms of the operations (procedures, actions, or processes) by which it could be observed and measured

Question 4

Why is replication important?

Answer 4

replicability proves theory is still true

Question 5

What are the primary three research methods in psychology?

Answer 5

1. Descriptive methods: describe behaviors through case studies, surveys, or naturalistic observations
2. Correlational methods: associate different factors
3. Experimental methods: manipulate factors to discover their effects:

Question 6

What is the difference between a random sample and a convenience sample?

Answer 6

Random Sample - likely to capture proportions of given types of people in population
Convenience Sample - can produce proportions that are severely skewed away from the actual proportions in the population

Question 7

What is correlation?

Answer 7

Helps us figure out how closely 2 things vary and thus how well either one predicts the other

Question 8

What is the advantage of the experimental method?

Answer 8

enables researches to establish whether a causal link (correlation) exists between 2+ variables

Question 9

What is the difference between dependent and independent variables?

Answer 9

Independent Variable - variable that is changed (amount of water)
Dependent Variable - factor that is observed or measured (plant height)