Unit 0 Terms Part 2 Flashcards
Qualitative data
Information not expressed numerically, such as descriptions of behavior, thoughts, attitudes, and experiences.
Debriefing
The post experimental explanation of study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants
Histogram
A bar graph depicting a frequency distribution
Mean
The average of a distribution
Percentile rank
The percentage of score that are lower than a given score
Psychodynamic approach
Approach that views human behavior from the standpoint of unconscious motives that mold the personality, influence attitudes, and produce emotional disorder. Emphasis on tracing behavior to its origins
Behavioral approach
Focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development
Cognitive approach
uses experimental research methods to study internal mental processes such as attention, perception, memory, and decision-making
Biological psychology
The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.
Humanistic perspective
Assumption that people are essentially good and constructive, self-actualization is inherent, and humans will develop to their maximum potential in the proper environment
Evolutionary psychology
The study of the evolution of behavior and the minds, using principles of natural selection
Sociocultural perspective
Any viewpoint or approach to health, mental health, history, politics, economics, or any other area of human experience that emphasize the environmental factors of society, culture, and social interaction
Biopsychological approach
An integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis
Social-cognitive approach
Theory that describes how people learn behaviors and interact with their environment by observing other and choosing behaviors to imitate
W.E.I.R.D. cultures
Western, Educated, Industrialized Rich and Democratic
Aims to raise people’s consciousness about psychological differences and to emphasize that WEIRD people are but one unusual slice of humanity’s cultural diversity
Experimental control
Regulation of all extraneous conditions and variables in an experiment
Positive (direct) correlation
Relationship between two variables in which both rise and fall together. For example, one would expect to find a positive correlation between study hours and test performances.
Representative sampling
The selection of study units from a larger group in an unbiased way, so the sample accurately reflects the total population.
Convenience sampling
Process for selecting a sample of individuals that is neither random nor systematic but governed by chance or ready availability.
Sampling
Process of selecting for study a limited number of units from a larger set
Generalizability
The extent to which results or findings obtained are applicable to a broader population
Placebo
A pharmacologically inert substance (sugar pill) that is often administered as a control in testing new drugs
Variance
A measure of the spread, or dispersion, of scores within a sample or population, whereby a small variance indicates highly similar scores, all close to the sample mean, and vice versa
Demand characteristics
Cues that may influence or bias participant’s behaviors
Structured interview
Method for gathering information, used in surveys and personnel selection, in which questions and the wording are determined in advance
Likert scale
A type of attitude measured that consists of statements reflecting a strong positive or negative evaluation of an object. Commonly a 5-point scale
Deception
any distorting of or withholding of fact with purpose of misleading others
Split-half reliability
Measure of the internal consistency of surveys, psychological tests, questionnaires, and other instruments or techniques that assess participant responses on particular structures
Retest reliability
Measure of the consistency of results on a test or other assessment instrument over time, given as the correlation of score between the first and second administrations.
Alternate-forms reliability
Measure of the consistency and freedom from error of a test, as indicated by a correlation coefficient obtained from responses to two or more alternate forms of the test
Interrater reliability
Extent to which independent evaluators produce similar ratings in judging the same abilities or characteristics in the same target person or object
Construct validity
How much a test measures a concept or trait
Predictive validity
The success with which a test predicts the behaviors it is designed to predict; assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior
Face validity
The apparent soundness of a test or measure
Content validity
Extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest
Frequency distribution
A tabular representation of the number of times a specific value or datum point occurs. Left column lists different categories of a categorical variable or scores, the right list the number of occurrences for each
Negative (inverse) correlation
Relationship between two variables in which one variable increases as the other decreases.
Directionality problem
The situation in which is it known that two variables are related although it is not known which is the cause and which is the effect
Third-variable problem
The fact that an observed correlation between two variables may be due to the common correlation between each of the variables and a third variable rather than any underlying relationship of the two variables with each other
Institutional Review Board
Committee named by an agency to review research proposals originating within that agency for ethical acceptability and compliance with the organization’s codes of conduct
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Committee responsible for overseeing an institute’s program and research protocols involving nonhuman animals. Ensures human treatment towards animals
Informed assent
Process where minors agree to participate without being able to legally give consent; typically given by an adult
Confederate
In an experiment, an aide of the experimenter who poses as a participant but whose behavior is rehearsed prior to the experiment
Cross-sectional study
Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time
Longitudinal study
Research that follows and retests the same people over time
Positive (right) skew
The few extreme scores towards the high end of the distribution
Negative (left) skew
The few extreme scores towards the low end of the distribution
Bimodal distribution
A set of score with two peaks or modes around which values tend to cluster, so frequencies first increase then decrease around each peak
Spurious correlation
A situation in which variables are associated through their common relationship with one or more other variables but do not have a causal relationship with one another.
R-values
Statistical measure that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables
P-values
(Probability Value) The likelihood that the observed result would have been obtained if the null hypothesis of no real effect were true
