Unit 2: Research Methods

Question 1

hindsight bias

Answer 1

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
(I KNEW IT ALL ALONG PHENOMENON)

EX. looking back at 9/11, it seems obvious that US intelligence should have taken terrorist threats seriously

Question 2

empirical approach

Answer 2

letting the facts speak for themselves

being skeptic

Question 3

critical thinking

Answer 3

examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, assesses conclusions

Question 4

theory

Answer 4

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

Question 5

hypothesis

Answer 5

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Question 6

operational definition

Answer 6

statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables

specific!

Question 7

replication

Answer 7

repeating the essence of a research study (usually w/ different. participants in diff. situations)

Question 8

a good theory is explained by:

Answer 8

1. organizing and linking observed facts

2. implying hypotheses that have testable predictions and possibly practical applications

Question 9

case study

Answer 9

an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

Question 10

survey

Answer 10

technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes/behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

Question 11

population

Answer 11

all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn
(except for national studies, this does NOt refer to a country’ whole population)

Question 12

random sample

Answer 12

every person in the entire group has an equal chance of participating; sometimes uses a random generator to find pollsters

Question 13

naturalistic observation

Answer 13

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Question 14

correlation

Answer 14

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

EX. depression is related to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain

Question 15

correlation coefficient

Answer 15

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)

Question 16

scatterplot

Answer 16

graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the pts suggest the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggest the strength of the correlation

Question 17

correlation and causation

Answer 17

CORRELATION DOES NOT PROVE CAUSATION

Question 18

illusory correlation

Answer 18

the perception of a relationship where none exists

Question 19

experiment

Answer 19

research method where an investigator manipulates 1+ factors (IV) to observe the effect on some behavior/mental process (DV)

Question 20

random assignment

Answer 20

assigning participants to experimental & control groups by chance to minimize preexisting differences between those assigned to diff. groups

Question 21

double-blind procedure

Answer 21

experimental procedure where both the research participants & the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether participants received the treatment or the placebo

EX. drug evaluation studies

Question 22

placebo effect

Answer 22

experimental results caused by expectations alone

EX. people given sugar pills in a drug study see their conditions improve

Question 23

experimental group

Answer 23

in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment (that is, to one version of the IV)

Question 24

control group

Answer 24

in an experi., the group that is NOT exposed to treatment; serves as comparison to experi. group and effects to treatment

Question 25

independent variable

Answer 25

experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studies

Question 26

confounding variable

Answer 26

factor other than the IV that might produce an effect in an experiment

Question 27

dependent variable

Answer 27

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of IV

Question 28

mode

Answer 28

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

Question 29

measure of central tendency

Answer 29

a single score that represents a whole set of scores

Question 30

mean

Answer 30

arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing them by the number of scores

Question 31

median

Answer 31

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half below it

Question 32

range

Answer 32

difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Question 33

standard deviation

Answer 33

computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Question 34

normal curve

Answer 34

shows large numbers of data in a symmetrical bell shaped curve

Question 35

statistical significance

Answer 35

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

to be proof, it must be less than 5%

Question 36

culture

Answer 36

the enduring behaviors, ideals, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next