AP Psych unit 0 vocab

Critical thinking

to analyze information without bias

Hindsight Bias

to believe you predicted something after knowing the outcome

Peer Reviewers

scientific experts who evaluate a research article’s theory, originality, and accuracy

Theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

falsifiable

the possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproven by observation or experiment

operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced

case study

a non-experimental technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

naturalistic observation

a non-experimental technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

survey

a non-experimental technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

social desirability bias

bias from people’s responding in ways they presume a researcher expects or wishes

sampling bias

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

self-report bias

bias when people report their behavior inaccurately

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

population

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

correlation

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from −1.00 to +1.00)

variable

anything that can be measured or manipulated

scatterplot

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation).

illusory correlation

perceiving a relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger-than-actual relationship

regression towards the mean

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back (regress) toward the average

experiment

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable)

experimental group

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable

control group

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups

effect size

the strength of the relationship between two variables. The larger the effect size, the more one variable can be explained by the other

single-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which the research participants are ignorant (blind) about whether they have received the treatment or a placebo

double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo

placebo effect

when someone’s behavior changed after receiving a placebo

independent variable

the variable being manipulated

dependent variable

the variable being studied

confounding variable

outside variable that’s not being studied but could change the results of the experiment

experimenter bias

tendency for researchers to treat members of experimental and control groups differently to confirm their hypothesis

validity

how well a test accurately measures what it has been designed to measure

quantitive research

Numerical data

qualitive research

relies