Thinking like a psychological scientist Flashcards
Anecdotal evidence
A piece of biased evidence, usually drawn from personal experience, used to support a conclusion that may or may not be correct.
Causality
In research, the determination that one variable causes—is responsible for—an effect.
Correlation
In statistics, the measure of relatedness of two or more variables
Data (also called observations)
In research, information systematically collected for analysis and interpretation.
Deductive reasoning
A form of reasoning in which a given premise determines the interpretation of specific observations (e.g., All birds have feathers; since a duck is a bird, it has feathers).
Distribution
In statistics, the relative frequency that a particular value occurs for each possible value of a given variable.
Empirical
Concerned with observation and/or the ability to verify a claim.
Fact
Objective information about the world
Falsify
In science, the ability of a claim to be tested and—possibly—refuted; a defining feature of science.
Generalize
In research, the degree to which one can extend conclusions drawn from the findings of a study to other groups or situations not included in the study.
Hypothesis
A tentative explanation that is subject to testing
Induction
To draw general conclusions from specific observations
Inductive reasoning
A form of reasoning in which a general conclusion is inferred from a set of observations (e. g., noting that “the driver in that car was texting; he just cut me off then ran a red light!” (a specific observation), which leads to the general conclusion that texting while driving is dangerous).
Levels of analysis
In science, there are complementary understandings and explanations of phenomena.
Null-hypothesis significance testing NHST
In statistics, a test created to determine the chances that an alternative hypothesis would produce a result as extreme as the one observed if the null hypothesis were actually true.
