Unit 1 test Flashcards
explains behaviors or events by offering ideas that organize observations
theory
a testable prediction often implied by a theory
hypothesis
why is it essential to operationally define the variables in a study
so it’s easier to replicate the original observations
why is replication so important in the research process
it makes the results of an experiment more reliable
independent variable:
dependent variable:
what’s being changed
what’s being measured
a descriptive technique where one individual or group is studied in depth in hopes of revealing universal principles
case study
drawbacks to case study
-doesnt always apply to everyone
-personal experience often contradict it
a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation
naturalistic observations
a descriptive technique for obtaining the self reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group usually by questioning a random sample of the group
survey
why are descriptive research methods limited in their ability to explain behavior
bc the research tells what people are doing or what they’re thinking but it doesn’t explain why they’re doing/thinking it
how does phrasing of a survey question affect the responses given
the way the question is worded can change a persons opinion
wording effects
subtle changes and/or order can change the outcome of a survey
creates an unrepresentative sample
sample bias
the whole group u want to study
population
every person in the group has an equal chance of participating
random sample
two sets of data tend to rise or fall together
positive correlation
one set of data rises while the other falls
negative correlation
perceiving a relationship where none exists or perceiving a stronger than actual relationship
ex. wearing a certain jersey every game bc u think it’s lucky
illusory correlation
why should researchers be careful of illusory correlations
not recognizing it can be the cause of superstitions and some ineffective practices
how do random sample and random assignment differ
random sampling is when everyone has the same probability of being chosen and random assignment is randomly assigning people to the control group or experimental group
tendency for extreme scores/events to fall back toward the average
ex. athlete performs amazing then returns to his normal performance
regression
what is the purpose of an experiment
to explore cause and effect
laboratory experiments cants re create exact behaviors so they are used to test… and the goal is to reveal …
they test theoretical principles and the goal is to reveal general principles that may explain behaviors
define 5 ethical guidelines for research participants
- informed consent
- protection from harm
3.right to withdraw
4.confidential - debriefing (explain the results)
why is are statistics important in psychology
so u can measure variables and interpret results
why must care be taken when reading a histogram
bc it’s easy to design a graph that makes results look bigger than they really are
what are three measures of central tendency
mode, median, mean
what is mean, median, mode
mean- tells you the average distribution
median- the middle
mode- the most frequently occurring score
which measure of central tendency provides the most accurate view when there are outliers
the median
what does standard deviation tell us
how much the scores vary around the mean or average score
what does a large and small standard deviation indicate
the scores vary a lot compared to the average
and for small standard deviation the scores are close to the average
what is the difference between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics
descriptive statistics use data to provide descriptions and inferential statistics make inferences and predictions
what is the standard for deciding if a result is statistically significant
when the samples average are reliable and ehen the difference between them is relatively large
what does it mean if a result is statistically significant
the obtained result occurred by chance
