Psychology paper 3 vocab

Informed Consent

Participation is voluntary and participants must fully understand the nature of their involvement.

Protection from Harm

Participants must be protected from both physical and mental harm.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

Anonymity means data cannot be connected to individuals; confidentiality means information isn’t available to others.

Withdrawal from Participation

Participants have the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

Deception

Deception is permissible but must be minimized.

Debriefing

Participants should be informed about the true nature of the study after completion, especially if deception was used.

Data Fabrication

It is unethical to make up data; errors in published results must be corrected.

Plagiarism

Presenting parts of another’s work or data as one's own is unethical.

Publication Credit

All contributors to the research must receive appropriate credit.

Sharing Data Verification

Researchers should not withhold data used for conclusions presented in publications.

Handling Sensitive Personal Information

Sensitive information, particularly in health and genetics contexts, must be managed with care.

Social Implications of Reporting Results

Researchers must consider the potential societal impacts of how research conclusions are communicated.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured in an experiment to see if it is affected by changes in the independent variable.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the treatment or intervention.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the treatment and is used for comparison.

Confounding Variables

Variables that can distort the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Random Assignment

The process of randomly allocating participants into different groups to minimize bias.

Correlational Research

A research method used to measure and quantify the relationship between variables.

Correlation Coefficient (r)

A statistical measure used to determine the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables.

Self-report Bias

A limitation in surveys where participants may not provide honest or accurate answers.

Hawthorne Effect

When individuals modify their behavior because they are aware they are being observed.

Structured Interviews

Interviews where a fixed list of questions is used.

Semi-Structured Interviews

Interviews that have some structure but do not follow a strict question order.

Unstructured Interviews

Interviews that are participant-driven with questions based on previous responses.

Focus Groups

A special type of semi-structured interview conducted with a group of participants.

Content Analysis

The process of analyzing transcribed text from interviews to find recurring themes.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of an individual or group that uses various methods of data collection.

Meta Analysis

A research method that involves analyzing previous research studies to draw conclusions.

Random Sampling

An ideal approach to make a sample representative where every member of the target population has a chance of being included.

Stratified Sampling

A sampling method where the researcher decides on essential characteristics the sample must reflect and recruits participants to maintain these proportions.

Convenience Sampling

A method of recruiting participants that are easily available, usually used when resources and time are limited.

Self-Selected Sampling

A sampling technique where participants volunteer to be part of the study, which can lead to biased results due to self-selection.

Quota Sampling

A method where the researcher sets a quota for specific characteristics and recruits participants until this quota is met, regardless of how they are selected.

Purposive Sampling

A technique where participants are intentionally selected based on specific characteristics or criteria relevant to the research.

Theoretical Sampling

A specialized form of purposive sampling that continues until data saturation is reached, meaning no new information is obtained.

Snowball Sampling

A technique where existing study participants recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances, useful for hard-to-reach populations.

External Validity

The extent to which findings can be generalized from the sample to the target population.

Population Validity

The quality reflecting how well the sample represents the target population.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which findings can be generalized from the experiment to other settings or situations.

Construction Validity

Characterizes the quality of operationalizations and the accuracy of the measurements used.

Internal Validity

The procedural quality of the experiment, ensuring that confounding variables are controlled.

Triangulation

A combination of different methods for collecting and interpreting data to increase credibility.

Method Triangulation

Using various methods to obtain results and see if they are consistent.

Researcher Triangulation

Combining observations from different researchers to enhance credibility.

Experimenter Bias

When researchers unintentionally influence the results of their own studies.

Social Desirability Bias

Participants’ tendency to respond or behave in a way they think will make them liked or accepted.

Dominant Respondent Bias

Occurs in group interviews when one participant influences the responses of others.

Confirmation Bias

When a researcher has a prior belief and subconsciously seeks to confirm it through research.

Leading Question Bias

When question wording encourages responses in a particular direction.

Question Order Bias

When responses to prior questions influence responses to subsequent questions.

Generalizing/Transferring the findings of the Study

Population Validity, Ecological Validity, Construction Validity