U02 - Research Methods Flashcards
1
Q
Scientific method
A
- Scientists are empiricists, meaning that they base beliefs on systematic, objective observations of the world. Instead of using experience or intuition
- follows the process of the theory-data cycle
- formulate hypotheses either on the basis of prior observation or theory, Then we systematically collect evidence across many people
2
Q
Theory
A
- an integrated set of related principles that explains and generates predictions about some phenomenon in the world
- is a set of propositions about what people do and why.
- To test a theory, researchers design a study
- broader than hypothesis
3
Q
Hypothesis
A
- a testable prediction about what will happen under specific circumstances if the theory is correct
- a prediction about what will happen based on the theory
- a very specific statement of what we expect to happen
- narrower than a theory
4
Q
Data
A
- a set of observations that are gathered to evaluate the hypothesis
- observations from a study, usually in numerical form, collected from ppl at certain times or in certain situations
- data are the observations we gather to evaluate the hypothesis, to put our hypothesis to the test
5
Q
Replication study
A
- repetition of the study with a new group of participant
- direct and conceptual replication
6
Q
Open science movement
A
- initiative to make scientific research, data, and methods openly accessible and transparent, with the goal of increasing reproducibility of research
- strengthen the verifiability and replicability of studies
- to make all of the methods, data, resources that researchers use in conducting their studies more shareable, more easily accessible to other researchers, in some cases to the public as well
- attempt a replication
7
Q
Meta-analysis
A
- combination of the results of multiple studies
- a study of many studies
- a single study is quite limited in what it can tell us, if we’re able to combine many studies looking at the same type of effect, we can get a better sense of whether the effect exists, of the magnitude of the effect, how big it is
- it’s a statistical method of combining the results of many studies
8
Q
Peer-reviewed
A
- sent out for evaluation to other experts in the field
- critical evaluation of the study’s quality by trained psychological scientists
- taking a critical look at the study, evaluating its strengths, its limitations, whether the conclusions that the researchers drew from their data, from their findings are warranted
9
Q
Variable
A
- anything that can take on different values
- variables could be some characteristic of an individual
10
Q
Manipulated variable
A
- variable intentionally changed by the research
- is one whose levels the researcher controls by assigning different participants to different levels of that variable
11
Q
Measured variable
A
- A variable whose values are simply recorde
12
Q
Operational definition
A
- specific description of how a variable will be measured or manipulated in a study
- Specific ways of measuring or manipulating an abstract variable in a particular study.
- So how do we take something so vague and operationalize it?
- Operationalizing a measured variable usually means turning a variable into a number, so researchers can statistically analyze the data and evaluate the strength of evidence for a hypothesis
- study: certain muscle contractions represent certain expressions, therefore, certain feelings
- study: social media use = time (hours per week) spent passively browsing (but not actively engaging or messaging)
13
Q
Self-report measure
A
- People describe themselves and/or their behavior
- like fixed-response questionnaires (surveys)
- pros: Allows us to “get inside people’s heads, Easy, relatively inexpensive (in the case of surveys)
- cons: social desirability bias, difficulty to verbalize how we feel, not always aware of what we do, memories are inaccurate
14
Q
Social desirability bias
A
- tendency to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others
- tendency we have to answer questions that will put us in a good light to others
15
Q
Behavioral observation
A
- Researchers observe and record the occurrence of behavior
- pros: More objective, Real-world behavior, Potential source of nuanced, rich information, Behaviors in natural context
- cons: Resource-intensive, requires extensive training (to be on same page on what to observe), Hard to recruit participants, Reactivity
16
Q
Reactivity
A
- a change in behavior from knowing being observed
17
Q
Indirect measures
A
- Indirect measures still gather information about the behavior of interest using interactions with people, but not through direct observation
- pros: avoid social desirability and reactivity problems, good for sensitive topics
- cons: big gap between construct of interest and operationalization, Can we be sure that we are studying what we think we are studying
18
Q
Population of interest
A
The full set of cases the researcher is interested in
19
Q
Sample
A
The group who participated in research, and who belong to the larger group (the population of interest) that the researcher is interested in understanding
20
Q
Random sample
A
every person in the population of interest has equal chance of inclusion
- not based on WEIRD, White, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic
21
Q
Descriptive research
A
- Measuring how people typically think, feel, or behave
- Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon
- It can answer what, where, when and how questions, but not why questions
22
Q
Case study
A
- researchers study one or two individuals in depth, often those who have a unique condition
- study: phineas gage
