UNIT 2 - Research Methods Flashcards
Hindsight bias
“I knew it all along”
Critical thinking
Examines assumptions and assesses conclusions
Theory
Well-tested explanation
Hypothesis
Prediction
Operational definitions
carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study
Replication
Repeating research studies to determine the reliability
Case study
One person or group studied in depth
Naturalistic observation
Observing natural behavior without controlling the situation
Survey
Self reported attitudes or behaviors
Sampling bias
a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample
Population
Everyone in the group being studied
Random sample
Fair representation as each member has an equal chance of being selected
Correlation
Connection
Correlation coefficient
Relationship between 2 variables. (Closer to 1 = higher)
Scatterplot
a graphical depiction of the relationship between two variables
Illusory correlation
the perception of a relationship where none exists
Experiment
Investigator manipulates one ore more factors (independent variable) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (dependent variable)
Experimental group
The group(s) exposed to the treatment
Control group
The group not exposed to the treatment
Random assignment
Assigning participants to groups by chance
Double-blind procedure
Researchers and research participants unaware if there’s a placebo or not
Placebo effect
experimental results caused by expectations
Independent variable
Manipulated variable being studied
Cofounding variable
Variable that might produce an effect
Dependent variable
Variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
Validity
the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to
Descriptive statistics
Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups
Histogram
a bar graph depicting a frequency distribution
Mode
most frequently occurring number
Mean
Average
Median
Middle number
Skewed distribution
a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value
Range
the difference between the highest and lowest number
Standard deviation
Measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
Normal curve
A symmetrical curve that describes the distribution of many types of data
Inferential statistics
numerical data that allow one to generalize
Statistical significance
how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
Informed consent
Principle that enables participants to choose whether they want to participate
Debriefing
Post experimental explanation of a study
