Vocabulary Words Flashcards
Social Loafing
the decrease in individual effort that sometimes occurs when other people are present and when group performance is measured
Diffusion of Responsibility
the tendency for individuals to assume less responsibility to act in a group situation
Determinism
the philosophical belief that all events derive from causes
Empirical
relying on or derived from observation or experiment
Explanation
statements that make a set of events intelligible
Self-Correcting
a procedure that automatically detects and repairs error
Data
the scores obtained on a dependent variable
Organization
structures of existing knowledge; one characteristic of a good theory
Prediction
statement of a future outcome before data are collected
Theory
a set of related statements that explain a variety of occurrences
Induction
reasoning from the particular to the general
Deduction
reasoning from the general to the particular
Observation
the careful watching and recording of a phenomenon
Hypothesis
a testable statement that offers a predicted relationship between dependent and independent variable
Generalization
formation of broad propositions derived from individual facts
Intervening Variable
abstract concepts that link independent variables to dependent variables
Applied Research
research aimed at solving a practical problem
Basic Research
research aimed at increasing fundamental understanding
Case Study
the intensive investigation of a particular instance, or case, of some behavior; does not allow inferences of cause and effect but is merely descriptive
Confounding Variable
the simultaneous variation of a second variable with an independent variable of interest so that any effect on the dependent variable cannot be attributed with certainty to the independent variable; inherent in correlational research
Experiment
the systematic manipulation of some factors in the environment to observe the effect of the manipulation on behavior
Correlational Coefficient
a number that can vary from -1.00 to + 1.00 and that indicates the degree and direction of a relationship with a single statistic
Correlational Research
allows the experimenter to determine simultaneously the degree and direction of a relationship with a single statistic
Naturalistic Observation
the description of naturally occurring events without intervention on the part of the investigator
Negative Correlation
an observed relationship between two variables in which a change in one variable is accompanied by a change in the opposite direction in the second variable
Positive Correlation
an observed relationship between two variables in which a change in one variable is accompanied by a change in the same direction in the second variable
Participant Observation
an observation technique in which the observer participates with those being observed; for example, living with gorillas in the wild
Pearson r
a parametric measure of correlation between two variables
Reactivity
a participant’s unplanned reaction to the researcher or research setting that may confound the results of the research
Relational Researcher
research that tries to determine how two or more variables are related
Survey
the technique of obtaining a limited amount of information from a large number of people, usually through random sampling
Variable
something that can be measured or manipulated
Baseline
a measurement used as the basis for comparison, usually when no treatment is given
Control Group
a group of participants given no experimental treatment
Counterbalancing
describing any technique used to vary systematically the order of conditions in an experiment to distribute the effects of time of testing (for example, practice and fatigue), so they are not confounded with conditions
Dependent Variable
the variable measured and recorded by the experimenter
Independent Variable
the variable manipulated by the experimenter
Double-Blind Experiment
an experimental technique in which neither the subject nor the experimenter knows which subject are in which treatment conditions
Hawthorne Effect
the condition in which performance in an experiment is affected by the knowledge of participants that they are in an experiment
Level
the value of an independent variable
Matching
attempting to make different groups of subjects equivalent based upon subject characteristics or scores on tests
Mixed Design
an experimental design containing both within and between-subject independent variables
Null Hypothesis
the prediction that the independent variable will have no effect on the dependent variable
Quasi Experiment
an experiment in which the independent variable occurs naturally and is not under direct control of the experimenter
Random Assignment
a procedure that ensures each subjects has an equal chance of being assigned to experimental treatments
Random Selection
a procedure that ensures each member of a population has an equal chance of being a participant in an experiment
Sampling
in statistics the selection of subjects or items for experimenters
Subject variable
a characteristic of people that can be measured or described but cannot be varied experimentally (for example, height, weight, sex, and IQ)
Within-Subjects Design
an experimental design in which each subjects is tested under more than one level of the independent variable
Debriefing
when subjects are told all details of an experiment after they have participated; an ethical obligation of the researcher
Confidentiality
the researcher’s guidelines stating that information obtained about subjects should remain confidential unless otherwise agreed
Deception
a research technique in which the participant is misled about some aspect of the project; may be unethical
Fraud
the deliberate distortion of research results, which includes fabricating data, altering data, and deliberately not reporting results thought to be inappropriate to one’s interests
Informed Consent
potential participants’ decision whether to participate in an experiment
Protection from Harm
ethical researchers’ commitment to protect their subjects from any harm
Abstract
short summary at the beginning of a journal article that informs the reader about what was done (method) and results
APA Format
the journal article format specified by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Design
the framework of an experiment-the independent, dependent, subject, and control variables
Discussion
a section of a technical paper in which the author draws theoretical conclusions by examining, interpreting, and qualifying the results
Introduction
the portion of a technical paper that specifies the problem to be studied and tells why it is important
Method
a section of a technical paper that describes in detail the operations performed by the experimenter
Procedure
a subsection of the method section of a technical paper that explains what happened to the participants/subjects and contains enough information that someone else could replicate the study
References
found at the end of a technical paper, only articles cited in the text are included in the reference section
Results
a section of a technical paper that describes that data obtained in the research and provides statistical analyses conducted on the data
Running Header
the heading that appears at the top of the page of a published article
Subject
a person participating in the research
Tables
a nongraphical way of summarizing data in a technical paper; summary values of the dependent variable are presented under headings describing the levels of the independent variable
Title
provides an idea of the contents of an article or technical paper and usually states only the dependent and independent variables
Constant
same value/condition/circumstance applied to all treatments as a control mechanism
Discrete Variable
has an absolute value (whole numbers, how many students, how many cats, how many males)
Continuous Variable
can take on a 4 number of values (has a decimal point, swimming in the Olympics, age-especially if you are under age 8, a number line)
Population
the total set of potential observations (from which a sample can be drawn)
Sample
observations selected from a population
Descriptive Statistics
methods of organizing and summarizing data (mean, standard deviation)
Inferential Statistics
procedures for determining the reliability and generality of a particular experimental finding
Qualitative Research
process issue (sharing, reading, understanding the concept of money)
Quantitative Research
can count (number of vocabulary words between 2&4 years, items correct on a test, how many pickles eaten)
Experimental Group
receives treatment and is measured on the dependent variable
Placebo
an inactive substance that provides the appearance of a manipulation-a special type of control in an experimental design
Ceiling Effect
restriction of range problem: already always at the top (easy test and get all As)
Floor Effect
restriction of range problem: already always at the bottom (everyone flunks a too difficult test)
Between-Subjects
an experimental design in which each subject is tested under only one level of each independent variable
Repeated Measures
a type of within subjects design, in which all participants are measured under all conditions and there are at least two measurements
Carryover Effect
the relatively permanent effect that testing subjects in one condition has on their later behavior in another condition
Parametric
inferential procedures for normally distributed scores, or with interval or ratio data
Non Parametric
inferential procedures for scores that are not normally distributed, or with hormonal or ordinal data
Correlation
relationships between two (usually naturally occurring variables)
Experimental
cause and effect-at least one variable is under the control of the researcher
Confederate
participants in an experiment that are really enlisted by the researcher to prompt responses from the real participants
Convenience Sample
participants in a sample have not been chosen randomly; they are either volunteers, or in the right place at the right time
Authority
what is true and what is false
Tenacity
allows people to maintain a uniform and constant outlook on things
Priori Methods
minimize the possibility of being influenced by conflicting opinion (other points of view go unnoticed)
Description
two functions of theory- (organization and prediction)
Experimentation
observations and the results of experiments are said to be ‘data,’ which provide a sound and solid base for the erection of the fragile edifice of scientific thought
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
a board that oversees the protection of human participants in nearly every United States institution that conducts research
Validity
whether a procedure or observation is sound or genuine
Predictive Validity
the ability of a test score to predict behavior on some criterion measure; also called criterion validity (if a law school entrance exam correctly predicts success as a lawyer)
Construct Validity
when several measures fit sensibly together and converge on (and can be explained by an underlying psychological concept)
Measurement
the systematic assignment of numbers or names to objects or attributes of objects
Reliability
the repeatability of an experimental result; an estimation from inferential statistics of the likelihood that a finding is repeatable
Concurrent
existing or happening at the same time
Content Validity
extent to which a measure represents all facets of a given construct
