Unit 1 Part 2 - Terminology

Question 1

hindsight bias

Answer 1

tendency to believe that after learning and outcome that one would have foreseen it

Question 2

theory

Answer 2

explanation using integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

Question 3

hypothesis

Answer 3

testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Question 4

operational definition

Answer 4

carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study
ex: sleep deprived, human intelligence

Question 5

replication

Answer 5

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced

Question 6

case study (3)

Answer 6

descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
intrinsic (uniqueness), instrumental (specific for general understanding), collective (many at once)

Question 7

naturalistic observation

Answer 7

descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in a naturally occurring situation without manipulating or controlling the situation
does not explain, just describes

Question 8

survey

Answer 8

descriptive technique for obtaining the self reported attitudes of a particular group, usually by questioning a random sample of the group

Question 9

sampling bias

Answer 9

flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

Question 10

population

Answer 10

all those in a group being studied

Question 11

random sample

Answer 11

fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance at inclusion

Question 12

correlation

Answer 12

measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

Question 13

correlation coefficient

Answer 13

statistical index of the relationship between two things

Question 14

illusory correlation

Answer 14

perceiving a relationship where none or little to none exists

Question 15

regression towards the mean

Answer 15

tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back to the average

Question 16

double-blind procedure

Answer 16

both researchers and participants are blind about which participants received the placebo or treatment

Question 17

confounding variable

Answer 17

factor other than the one being studied that might influence a study’s results

Question 18

validity

Answer 18

the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to

Question 19

informed consent

Answer 19

giving participants enough information for them to consent properly

Question 20

debriefing

Answer 20

post-experimental explaining of the study, including its purpose and any deceptions

Question 21

ethics code of the APA (4)

Answer 21

informed consent, protect from greater-than-usual harm, confidentiality, and debriefing

Question 22

descriptive statistics

Answer 22

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups
measures of central tendency and measures of variation

Question 23

histogram

Answer 23

bar graph depicting a frequency distribution

Question 24

skewed distribution

Answer 24

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value

Question 25

standard deviation

Answer 25

computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Question 26

statistical significance

Answer 26

stat statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance