Chapter 2 psych study guid

Hypothesis

brief statement summarizing the results the experiment is expecting

subjects

anyone or anything that is being tested

variable

a characteristic that is subject to change during the experiment (age,edu,height, hair color)

independent variable

the factor that an experimenter changes in a study

dependent variable

the factor in an experiment that changes as a result of the changes in the independent variable

if/then statements

independent variable/dependent variable

control

removal of factors other than the independent variable (extremes)

control group

the placebo group, the results that don’t really count, sugar pill (want this # to be so low it doesn’t matter)

experimental group

subjects who are participating in the experiment in which data will be analyzed (they get real medicine)

results

a statement clarifying if the hypothesis was correct or not and why and any additional info

Ethic #1

subjects always have the right to decline participation at any time

Ethic #2

openness and honesty are essential to experimentation

Ethic #3

information obtained about a subject during the study must remain confidential (use #s, letters, nicknames, consent)

Ethic #4

the experimenter must assess all possible risks and inform participants if any (“what if”)

negative correlation

temperature in degrees outside(x) 10⁰-50⁰ and # of people wearing winter coats(y) 5-25

positive correlation

hours of sleep(x) 1-8 hours and energy level(y) very low to very high

Zimbardo experiment

simulated prison experiment that tested how power dynamics and social roles influence human behavior; violated the ethic of “what if” and subject confidentiality

milgram expeiment

electric shock experiment that tested how easily one would obey an authority figure even against one’s own morals; violated the ethic of the right of a subject to withdrawal participation, violated the ethic of openness and honesty towards subjects, violated the ethic of “what if” by not assessing the psychological harm to the subject