Unit 1 - Vocab Types of Research

Question 1

What is descriptive research?

Answer 1

Purpose to observe and record some phenomena; nothing is manipulated

Question 2

What is a case study?

Answer 2

To study one or more individuals in great depth; generalization about behavior are made (bias).

Question 3

What is naturalistic observation?

Answer 3

Observing and recording behavior without trying to manipulate the situation; flaw does not explain behavior.

Question 4

What is a survey?

Answer 4

Ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people by questioning a sample of the population.

Question 5

What are wording effects?

Answer 5

In a survey, word choice or the way the question is framed can affect or change the results of a survey.

Question 6

What is sampling bias?

Answer 6

Flawed sampling process; produces an unrepresentative sample.

Question 7

What is a population?

Answer 7

All the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study.

Question 8

What is a random sample?

Answer 8

A sample of the population that closely parallels the population.

Question 9

What is random selection/assignment?

Answer 9

Every member of larger group has equal chance of being selected (unbiased); helps avoid false results.

Question 10

What is correlational research?

Answer 10

Research that examines the relationship between variables (How well does A predict B?); Studies or tests how two variables change together; No manipulation of variables; Cannot imply a cause and effect relationship.

Question 11

What is a correlation coefficient?

Answer 11

A statistical measure of the relationship between two variables; Range is from -1 to +1; correlation gets weaker as you get closer to zero.

Question 12

What is a scatterplot?

Answer 12

A graph that depicts the strength of a relationship between two variables.

Question 13

What is a positive correlation?

Answer 13

When variables vary systematically in the SAME direction (positive slope).

Question 14

What is a negative correlation?

Answer 14

When variables vary systematically in OPPOSITE directions (negative slope; as one variable increases the other decreases).

Question 15

What is an illusory correlation?

Answer 15

Perception of relationship where no relationship actually exists; correlation does not mean causation. Ex. superstitions > a black cat brings bad luck; picking up a penny makes you lucky; etc.

Question 16

What is experimental research?

Answer 16

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process; isolate cause and effect.

Question 17

What is an experimental condition/group?

Answer 17

The group of participants that are exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Question 18

What is a control condition/group?

Answer 18

A group of participants that contrasts with the experimental treatment (receives a placebo, not the treatment); serves as a comparison.

Question 19

What is random assignment?

Answer 19

Participants that are randomly places into two groups. This helps control for confounding variables; creates multiple study groups that include participants with similar characteristics so that the groups are equivalent at the beginning of the study.

Question 20

What is a double-blind procedure?

Answer 20

Both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo.

Question 21

What is a placebo/placebo effect?

Answer 21

Inert substance or condition administered instead of a presumed active agent to see if it triggers the effect; can sometimes improve a patient’s condition because the person has believed that they have the real substance.

Question 21

What is a placebo/placebo effect?

Answer 21

Inert substance or condition administered instead of a presumed active agent to see if it triggers the effect; can sometimes improve a patient’s condition because the person has believed that they have the real substance.

Question 22

What is an independent variable?

Answer 22

The experimental factor that is manipulated; variable whose effect is being studied; IV changes DV; “If…then”

Question 23

What is a confounding variable?

Answer 23

Extraneous variable; presence affects the results; does not reflect the actual relationship between the variables; explains “correlation does not mean causation”.

Question 24

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 24

Experimental factor that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable; usually a behavior or mental process.

Question 25

What is validity?

Answer 25

Extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to do; key to experimental design

Question 26

What is generalizability?

Answer 26

Extent to which results or finding from a particular experiment can be said to be true of the larger population.

Question 27

What are descriptive statistics?

Answer 27

Describes or displays sets of data.

Question 28

What is a histogram?

Answer 28

A bar graph depicting a frequency distribution.

Question 29

What are the measures of central tendency?

Answer 29

Mean (average), median (middle), and mode (most); extreme scores or outliers can distort the mean.

Question 30

What is a skewed distribution?

Answer 30

Extreme score has greatest effect on the mean - 
Positive skew (contains more low scores; few extreme high) positive: mean > median; leaning to the left
Negative skew (contains more high scores; few extreme low) negative: mean < median.; leaning to the right

Question 31

What is a normal distribution?

Answer 31

Mean, median, and mode are all the same; 68-95-99

Question 32

What is a percentile rank?

Answer 32

The percentage of scores in a normally distributed frequency distribution that are at or below the score you are looking at.

Question 33

What is range?

Answer 33

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

Question 34

What is standard deviation?

Answer 34

Computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean; 68-95-99; the higher the variance or SD, the more spread out the distribution is.

Question 35

What are inferential statistics?

Answer 35

Numerical data that allow one to generalize- to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population. Ex. measuring sampling error, draw conclusions from data, and test hypothesis.

Question 36

What is statistical significance?

Answer 36

Differences in results between the experimental and control groups could have occurred by chance is no more than 5% (Calculated by comparing the mean of the control and experimental groups); At least 95% certain the differences between the groups is due to the independent variable. P-value is less than .05 (p<.05)

Question 37

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 37

The assumption that there is no difference between the groups being studied; when a hypothesis is false or not proven.

Question 38

What is informed consent?

Answer 38

Research participants are told enough to enable them to choose whether or not they want to participate in the study/experiment.

Question 39

What is debriefing?

Answer 39

Post-experimental explanation of a study; must also maintain confidentiality.

Question 40

What are the APA/IRB/IACUC organizations?

Answer 40

APA > The American Psychological Association; scientific and professional organization
IRB > Institutional Review Board; type of committee that applies research ethics for research
IACUC > Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees; applying laws about animal research