Scientific Method, Research Methods, Statistics, Ethics - Video Notes Flashcards

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering the key concepts from the notes on the scientific method, research designs, statistics, and ethics.

What are the basic steps of the scientific method shown in the notes?

Observation/question, form a hypothesis, gather information, evaluate the information, test the hypothesis, draw a conclusion.

What is a hypothesis?

An educated guess about the relationship between variables; a testable statement.

What is a null hypothesis?

Predicts that there is no difference between two variables (they are not related).

What is a confounding variable?

An extraneous variable that might influence the outcome besides the independent variable.

What is validity?

The extent to which a test or experiment measures what it is intended to measure.

What are operational definitions?

Carefully worded specification of how a variable will be measured; defines a variable in terms of observable characteristics and units of measurement.

What is a random sample?

A sample where each member of the population has an equal chance of inclusion.

What is a representative sample?

A subset of the population that accurately represents the larger population.

What is sampling bias?

A flawed sampling process that yields an unrepresentative sample.

What is an experimental study?

A study where a treatment is introduced to isolate cause and effect, often with random assignment.

What is random assignment?

Randomly assigning participants to groups (e.g., control vs treatment) to reduce confounding and equalize groups.

What is a control group?

The group that receives no treatment or a placebo; used for comparison.

What is a placebo?

An inert substance or sham procedure given to control for expectations.

What is a single-blind study?

Either the participants or the researchers do not know who receives the placebo.

What is a double-blind study?

Neither the participants nor the researchers know who receives the placebo.

What is non-experimental research?

Studies in which the independent variable is not manipulated and there is no randomization.

What is a case study?

An in-depth examination of an individual or group; a deep dive.

What is naturalistic observation?

Observing behavior in naturally occurring situations without manipulation.

What is a meta-analysis?

Statistically combines results from multiple independent studies to estimate the overall effect.

What is a correlational study?

A study that measures the extent two factors change together; can predict one another but does not prove causation.

What is the correlation coefficient (r)?

A statistic ranging from -1 to +1 describing the strength and direction of the relationship.

What is illusory correlation?

Perceiving a relationship where none exists.

What is regression toward the mean?

Extreme observations tend to move toward the average on repeated measurements.

What are descriptive statistics?

Numerical data used to describe characteristics of groups (mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation, histogram).

What is the mean?

Arithmetic average; sensitive to outliers.

What is the median?

The middle value; less affected by outliers.

What is the mode?

The most frequent value; can be bimodal if two values occur most often.

What is the normal distribution?

Bell-shaped curve where mean, median, and mode are equal.

What is skewness?

Distribution not perfectly symmetrical; negative skew has a tail to the left, positive skew to the right.

What is the range?

Largest minus smallest value.

What is the standard deviation?

A measure of how scores vary around the mean.

What is inferential statistics?

Numerical methods that allow generalizing from a sample to a population.

What is sampling size effect on reliability?

Larger samples yield more reliable estimates and less variability.

What are ethics in research?

Standards like informed consent, confidentiality, debriefing, humane treatment of animals, and minimizing harm.

What is informed consent?

Participants are told enough to decide whether to participate and understand what they are consenting to.

What is debriefing?

Post-study explanation of purpose and any deception to participants.

What is the Hawthorne effect?

Participants change their behavior because they know they are being observed.

What is the Forer/Barnum effect?

People tend to accept vague general statements as true about themselves.

What are demand characteristics?

Participants interpret researchers' behavior as prompts for certain responses.

What is hindsight bias?

Judging results as more obvious after knowing the outcome.

What is peer review?

Evaluation by experts in the field before publication.

What is replicability?

The study would yield the same results if redone.

What is the placebo effect?

Improvement due to expectations rather than the treatment.