Unit 2 Flashcards
thinking that does not blindly accept argumetns and conclusions rather it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
critical thinking
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one could have forseen it
knew it all along phenonmenon
hindsight bias
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
theory
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
hypothesis
a statement of the procedures (opetations) used to define research variables
operational definition
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations to see whether the basi finding extends to other participants and circumstances
replication
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in th ehope of revealing universal principles
case study
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported atitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group
survey
all the cases in a group being studied from which samples may be drawn
population
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion
random sample
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
naturalistic observation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other
correlation
a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)
correlation coefficient
a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variable. the slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. the amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation)
scatter plot
the perception of a relationship where none exists
illusiory correlation
a research method in which an investigator manipuates on eor more factors (ind var) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental processes (dep var)
experiment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
random assignment
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or placebo. commonly used in drug-evalution studies
double-blind procedure
experimental results caused by the expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent
placebo effect
in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one verison of the independent variable
experimental group
in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; serves as a comparison for evalutating the effect of the treatment (contrasts with the experimental group)
control group
the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied
independent variable
another factor that might produce an effect in an experiment
confounding variable
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the ind var
dependent variable
the most frequently occuring scores in a distribution
mode
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores
mean
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
median
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
range
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
standard deviation
a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (68% fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes
normal curve
normal distribution
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occured by chance
statistical significance
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
culture
an ehtical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate
informed consent
the postexperimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants
debriefing
