UNIT 2: Research Methods

Question 1

Hindsight Bias

Answer 1

looking back in time makes an event seem as though it were inevitable to happen; ex. after something happens, it just seems so obvious

Question 2

Overconfidence

Answer 2

occurs when we are more confident that we know something than we are correct

Question 3

3 Underlying Parts to Science

Answer 3

curiosity (need to find the truth), skepticism (seek proof), and humility (admitting he/she is wrong)

Question 4

Scientific Method

Answer 4

hypothesis, procedure, observation, conclusion, and report findings

Question 5

Theory

Answer 5

an explanation that organizes observations and tries to predict outcomes

Question 6

Hypothesis

Answer 6

a prediction that can be tested

Question 7

Operational Definition

Answer 7

made to cut down on bias; has two parts: (1) a precise statement of the experimenter’s procedures and concepts and (2) something that is measured numerically ; should be detailed enough to enable other scientists to replicate the experiment

Question 8

Subjectivity

Answer 8

a judgement based on or including a person’s opinion or emotions

Question 9

Objectivity

Answer 9

a judgement that has had opinion or emotion stripped away from it

Question 10

3 Main Types of Research Methods

Answer 10

description (case study), survey, and naturalistic observation

Question 11

Case Study

Answer 11

a thorough study of one person in hopes of learning about people in general

Question 12

Survey

Answer 12

asks questions and deals with many more people (cases), but in much less depth; easily quantifies data (turn something into numbers)

Question 13

Issues with Surveys

Answer 13

wording and random sampling

Question 14

Wording

Answer 14

results of the survey can be dramatically different depending on the wording of the survey and/or the question order

Question 15

Random Sampling

Answer 15

surveys must be from a representative sample of whatever group they’re trying to represent. To get a representative sample (where the small-group truly represents the whole group), the survey-takers must come from a random sample

Question 16

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 16

watching a person or animal behave in its normal surroundings

Question 17

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 17

used to measure how closely two things go together (or not); seen numerically or in scatter plots

Question 18

Numerical Correlation Coefficient

Answer 18

on a scale from 1.0 to -1.0; ex: 0.95 (very high), -0.87 (very high), 0.00 (no correlation)

Question 19

Scatter Plots

Answer 19

graphs with the two things on the X and Y axes and dots scattered throughout the graph

Question 20

Correlation and Causation

Answer 20

just because the two things correlate, it’s incorrect to say A causes B; only an experiment shows causation because it isolates one variable to be tested

Question 21

Random Selection

Answer 21

the participants come from a large population and are randomly selected

Question 22

Random Assignment

Answer 22

the participants are randomly assigned to either the control or the experimental group

Question 23

Double-blind Procedure

Answer 23

a technique where the participants and researchers don’t know which group they’re in and/or the hypothesis being tested

Question 24

Placebo Effect

Answer 24

though fake, participants think it’s real and have real positive benefits

Question 25

Independent Variable (IV)

Answer 25

what the experimenter manipulates; this is the only thing different between the experimental and control groups

Question 26

Dependent Variable (DV)

Answer 26

what the IV supposedly affects; the DV is what is measured

Question 27

Confounding Variables

Answer 27

these are other factors that might make the experiment go wrong; these are factors that might affect the DV

Question 28

Central Tendency

Answer 28

refers to the center of a bunch of numbers; the three usual measurements include mode, mean, median

Question 29

Mode

Answer 29

the number which occurs most frequently

Question 30

Mean

Answer 30

the average

Question 31

Median

Answer 31

the middle number

Question 32

Range

Answer 32

the distance between the lowest and highest numbers in a group

Question 33

Standard Deviation

Answer 33

a measurement of how much the numbers vary from the mean (average); if the numbers are close, the SD is low, and vice-versa

Question 34

Normal Curve

Answer 34

also called “bell curve,” it is often occurs in nature with things like height and intelligence scores on a test

Question 35

Validity

Answer 35

one of two pillars of measurement; it is a test or bit of research that measures what it’s supposed to measure; ex. you took a test called “Geography Test” but it was algebra. Your score does not reflect your geography knowledge and the test is not valid

Question 36

Reliability

Answer 36

the test yields the same results over and over; to make test as reliable as possible is to have representative sampling (random selection of participants), low variability (low ranges and low standard deviations = more reliable), and more numbers = better results

Question 37

Statistical Significance

Answer 37

the observed difference between two numbers is not due to chance; measured by a p-value and goes by the 5% rule (shown like 0.04/4%); ex. scientists will say the numbers are statistically significant if there is less than a 5% chance that they were caused by chance

Question 38

APA (American Psychological Association)

Answer 38

suggests two things: informed consent (participants know what’s happening and consented) and debriefing (once study is finished, participants and researchers go over it)

Question 39

Case Study (continued)

Answer 39

Purpose: to gather information
Strengths: inexpensive, can have a single participant
Weaknesses: individual cases can be misleading, doesn’t show causation

Question 40

Survey (continued)

Answer 40

Purpose: to gather information
Strengths: inexpensive, gathers info fast
Weaknesses: wording and bias can alter results, doesn’t show causation

Question 41

Naturalistic Observation (continued)

Answer 41

Purpose: to gather information
Strengths: inexpensive
Weaknesses: individual cases can be misleading, doesn’t show causation

Question 42

Correlation (continued)

Answer 42

Purpose: to find the relationship between two things
Strengths: handles large numbers of people/data
Weaknesses: doesn’t show causation

Question 43

Experiment (continued)

Answer 43

Purpose: to find cause-and-effect
Strengths: shows cause-and-effect
Weaknesses: more costly, ethical factors may make it impractical