Unit 1 - Day 3 (Experimental Methods & Ethics)

Question 1

What is a theory?

Answer 1

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations.

Question 2

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 2

A testable prediction often implied by a theory which enables us to accept, reject, or revise the theory; a prediction of how one or more variables are likely to be related. A hypothesis must be capable of being tested and proven wrong.

Question 3

What is falsifiability of a hypothesis?

Answer 3

It’s possible to disprove it with observable evidence or an experimental observation.

Question 4

What is operational definition?

Answer 4

Carefully worded statements of exact procedures used in a research study.

Question 5

Why must we operationally define when doing research?

Answer 5

• For replication – repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants and in different situations to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances, reason why operational definitions are so important.

Question 6

What is an experiment?

Answer 6

A research method which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior/mental process.

Question 7

What is an independent variable?

Answer 7

The experimental factor that is manipulated; variable whose effect is being studied; the “if” part of the hypothesis.

Question 8

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 8

Experimental factor that is being measured; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable; the “then” part of the hypothesis.

Question 9

What are confounding variables?

Answer 9

Interference by a third variable which distorts the association between the two variables being studied; examples: a room’s temperature, noise level, lighting.

Question 10

What is the experimental/conditional group?

Answer 10

A group of participants that are exposed to the treatment or to one version of the independent variable.

Question 11

What is the control group?

Answer 11

A group of participants in an experiment who don’t receive the experimental treatment or intervention – no IV is applied to them and it serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of treatment.

Question 12

What is placebo?

Answer 12

A substance or treatment which is designed to have no value and is given to the control group.

Question 13

What is the placebo effect?

Answer 13

Experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of a placebo; which the recipient assumes is an active agent.

Question 14

What is population?

Answer 14

Whole group you want to study and describe.

Question 15

What is sampling?

Answer 15

Process of choosing research participants from a population.

Question 16

What is a representative sample?

Answer 16

Group of participants is made up of approximately the same demographics as the larger population.

Question 17

What is random sampling?

Answer 17

Every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen as a participant and selection is at random from the large population.

Question 18

What is convenience sampling?

Answer 18

Participants are picked because they are easily available to the researcher; does not result in representative samples and doesn’t allow you to generalize results.

Question 19

What is sampling bias?

Answer 19

A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.

Question 20

What is assignment?

Answer 20

Division of participants into groups (sampling occurs before assignment)

Question 21

What is random assignment?

Answer 21

Every participant has an equal chance of being placed into the experimental or control group to minimize preexisting differences.

Question 22

What is a single-blind procedure?

Answer 22

A study in which the observer knows which subjects received which treatment but the subjects themselves do not know; controls participant bias.

Question 23

What is experimenter bias?

Answer 23

Unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of experimental and control group differently to increase the chance of confirming hypothesis.

Question 24

What is double-blind procedure?

Answer 24

Procedure in which neither the person collecting the data nor the participants know which treatment is being applied; stops experimenter expectancy or experimenter bias.

Question 25

Why do we perform experiments in psychology?

Answer 25

Advantage: Shows cause-effect conclusions.
Disadvantage: Can be too controlled so it does not apply to the real world.

Question 26

What is the APA?

Answer 26

(American Psychological Association) is the governing body for psychology.

Question 27

What is the IRB?

Answer 27

The institutional review board assesses research plans to determine whether they meet ethical guidelines set by APA and federal regulations. First established in 1981.

Question 28

What is informed consent?

Answer 28

Tell the participants purpose of the experiment, risks, and give them the right to withdraw.

Question 29

What is informed assent?

Answer 29

Permission that allows minors to participate in experiments.

Question 30

What is debriefing?

Answer 30

Explaining the research after the experiment is conducted. This allows for deception meaning you can use research confederates (actors who are told prior to the experiment how to react)

Question 31

What are the animal research guidelines?

Answer 31

1. Have a clear, specific purpose.
2. Acquire legally
3. Obtain, house, and care for animals in a humane way.
4. Design study to employ the least amount of suffering feasible.