[Week 2] Thinking like a Psychological Scientist Flashcards
anecdotal evidence
a piece of biased evidence, usually drawn from personal experience, used to support a conclusion that may or may not be correct
causality
In research, the determination that one variable causes an effect
correlation
In statistics, the measure of relatedness of two or more variables
data
In research, information systematically collected for analysis and interpretation
deductive reasoning
general to specific
distribution
probability of occurrence of different outcomes for an experiment
empirical
Concerned with observation and/or the ability to verify a claim.
fact
Objective information about the world.
falsify
the ability of a claim to be tested and refuted
generalize
In research, the degree to which one can extend conclusions drawn from the findings of a study to other groups or situations not included in the study.
hypothesis
A tentative explanation that is subject to testing.
induction
specific to general
inductive reasoning
specific to general
levels of analysis
In science, there are complementary understandings and explanations of phenomena.
null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST)
statistical inference that an experimental factor is tested against a hypothesis with no relationship based on a given observation
objective
being free of personal bias
population
In research, all the people belonging to a particular group (e.g., the population of left handed people).
probability
chance of an event occurring
probability values
(p-value) probability of obtaining test results as extreme as results observed (under assumption that null hypothesis is correct)
pseudoscience
beliefs presented as scientific, but are not (e.g. Astrology)
representative
the degree that a sample is reflective of the population
sample
number of people selected from a population
scientific theory
An explanation for observed phenomena that is empirically well-supported, consistent, and fruitful (predictive).
Type I error
rejecting a true null hypothesis
Type II error
approving null hypothesis when it is false
value
Belief about the way things should be.
accuracy
explanations and theories match real-world observation
consistency
a theory has few exceptions and shows agreement with other theories within and across disciplines
scope
extent to which a theory extends beyond currently available data, explaining a wide array of phenomena
simplicity
when multiple explanations are equally good at explaining the data, the simplest should be selected
fruitfulness
usefulness of a theory in guiding new research
