AP pysc unit 0

Overconfidence

we overestimate our abilities.

Confirmation bias

we search for and find evidence to confirm we are correct

Hindsight Bias

perceiving past events as more predictable after knowing the outcome

Theory

Statement that predicts behavior or events. Highly researched & tested

Hypothesis

is a testable specific prediction

Operational Definition

a statement that describes or defines WHAT and HOW a researcher is measuring.

Descriptive Research

These studies are used to describe general or specific behaviors and attributes that are observed and measured

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behavior in a natural habitat or setting

Case Study

individual or just a few individuals are carefully studied in-depth

Survey

Self-report data, relies on the individual's own report of their symptoms, behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes

False Consensus Effect

we tend to overestimate the extent to which others agree with us

Social desirability

we make ourselves seem better than we are

Population

all individuals in the group being studied

Reliability

how similar the results of a study are when repeated

Validity

is the study testing what it is supposed to test

Correlational Studies

Research used to see if two variables are related and to make predictions based on the relationship

Scatterplot

data display that shows the relationship between two numerical variables

Correlation coefficient

measure of how strong the relationship between two variables is

Positive Correlation

(r= 0 to +1) when one variable increases or decreases so does the other

Negative Correlation

(r= 0 to -1) when one variable decreases the other increases (or vice versa)

Third Variable Problem

a third variable could be impacting BOTH of the other variables

Experiments

test if there is a cause-effect relationship between two variables

Variables

Factors that can be changed or measured

Independent Variable

the factor the experimenter controls and manipulates

Dependent Variable

what is being tested or measured (changes based on IV)

Confounding Variable

other things besides the independent variable that could be causing the dependent variable to change

Operational definition

statement that defines what you are measuring in an experiment

Informed consent

giving potential participants enough information about a study to allow them to determine participation in the study

Confidentiality

Researchers must protect the anonymity of participants unless otherwise agreed upon.

Debriefing

Explaining the purpose of research afterward, especially after deception.

Deception

only used when it's scientifically necessary and should not cause physical pain or severe emotional distress. Must debrief!

Measures of Variability

Spread or dispersion of scores for a set

Range

Represents the span of the scores in a data set (estimate of variation)

Standard Deviation

how much scores differ from the mean (Measure of how spread out numbers are)