Research Psychology Exam 1

Research producer

A researcher who conducts studies and experiments to generate new knowledge and insights in psychology. They design research methodologies, collect data, and analyze results to contribute to the field.

research consumer

reading or hearing about research on the news, social media, etc. learning how science is done can help you better understand and question what you hear

empiricism

the use of verifiable evidence as the basis for conclusions

theory-data cycle

scientists collect data to test, change, or update their theories

hypothesis

a testable predictions about something of interest

data

set of observations collected for analysis and interpretation.

studies do not “prove” a theory

this word connotes being definitive and is often avoided in scientific discourse.

replication

be duplicated; an effect, outcome, or observation

falsifiability

a feature of scientific claims-they should be designed so that data could show they are unsupported (“shown to be false”)

applied research

research aimed at solving practical problems or improving processes.

basic research

to enhance the general body of knowledge rather than to address a specific, practical problem

translational research

use of lessons from basic research to develop and test applications to health care, psychotherapy, or other forms of treatment and intervention

two general problems with basing beliefs on experience

experience often has no control group and experience is confounded

probabilistic

research findings do not explain all cases all of the time

availability heuristic

tendency to use information that comes to mind quickly and easily when making decisions about probability; mental shortcut

swayed by a good story

when things make sense, feel natural—just seem like a “good story”

present/present bias

focusing on times the event and outcome are present while failing to consider evidence that is absent and harder to notice

confirmation bias

underlying tendency to notice, focus on, and give greater weight to evidence that fits existing beliefs

bias blind spot

understanding that thinking can have errors (bias) but believe our own perspectives are somehow less biased than other people’s perspectives

challenges with using authority to trust information

the source of someone’s ideas and whether we can comfortably assume they are generally qualified in the area of interest

review article

summarize and integrate all the published studies that have been done in one research area

meta-analysis

combines the results of many studies and gives a number that summarizes the magnitude, or effect size, of a relationship

components of an empirical journal article

abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references

questions to ask yourself to avoid disinformation

Is the story accurate? How good is the study behind the story? has it been peer-reviewed? have they chosen a study simply because it is sensational or moralistic?

constructs

name of the concept being studied (title of article)

measured variables

one whose levels are simply observed and recorded, such as height, weight, and IQ

manipulated variables

variable a researcher controls

constant variables

something that could potentially vary but that has only one level

operational definition

how the construct is measured or manipulated in an actual study

Frequency claim

describes a particular level or degree of a single variable

Association claim

argues that one level of a variable is likely to be associated with a particular level of another variable

causal claim

argues that one of the variables is responsible for changing the other

operationalize

concept of interest means to turn it into a measured or manipulated variable

positive association

high goes with high and low goes with low; variables “move” in the same direction

negative association

high goes with low; low goes with high; variables “move” in opposite directions

zero association

no association between variables

validity

appropriateness of a conclusion or decision, and in general a valid claim reasonable, accurate, and justifiable

construct validity

how well a conceptual variable is operationalized

external validity

how well the results of a study generalize to, or represent

statistical validity

extent to which a study’s statistical conclusions are precise, reasonable and replicable

internal validity

relationship between one variable and another

covariance

extent to which two variables are observed to go together, is established by the results of a study

temporal precedence

a cause must come before the effect

internal validity

the study’s method ensures that there are no plausible alternative explanation for the change in one variable, while the other variable is the only thing that changed

independent variable

a variable that is manipulated

dependent variable

the variable that is measured