unit 2 Flashcards
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe after learning the outcome, that you knew it all along
critical thinking
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. rather it examines assumptions, assesses the source, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions
theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
hypothesis
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
operational definitions
explaining what you mean in your hypothesis (how will the variable be measured in”real life” terms.
replication
repeating the essence of a research study, usually different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.
replication
repeating the essence of a research study, usually different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.
case study
used to examine individual or group in depth in hopes of revealing things true of all of us
Naturalistic observation
observing and recording behavior in natural environment
survey
a technique for a certaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative random sample of the group
sampling bias
a flawed sampling process that produces on unrepresentative sample
population
all those in a group being studied from which samples may be drawn and to which generalizations will be made
-not a country’s whole population
random sample
sample that represents the population you want to study
correlation
a measure of the extent to which two variables change together and thus of how well either variable predicts the other
correlation coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two variables
scatterplot
a graphed cluster of dots
illusory correlation
the perception of a relationship where none exists
experiment
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental processes
experimental group
in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment
control group
group not exposed to the treatment, serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
random assignment
each participant has an equal chance of selection for the experimental or the control group
double-blind procedure
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment of a placebo
placebo
any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance
independent variable
the experimental factor that is manipulated
cofounding variable
a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment
dependent variable
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulation of the independent variable
validity
the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what is supposed to
descriptive statistics
numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation
mode
the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution
mean
the average by adding the scores and dividing by the number of scores
median
the middle score in a distribution
skewed distribution
a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
standard deviation
average difference between each score and mean
normal curve
a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean
inferential statistics
numerical data that allow one to generalize to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population
statistical significance
a statistical significance of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, values and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
informed consent
an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate
debriefing
the post experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants
