Research Methods

Hindsight Bias

The tendency upon hearing about research findings and many other things, to think that they knew it all along.

Confirmation Bias

Searching for evidence that supports your claim and ignoring contradictory evidence.

Overconfidence

Being overconfident about the things we believe in.

Applied Research

Seeks to solve specific, and practical problems using existing knowledge. For short: using existing knowledge while solving.

Basic Research

Explores questions that are of interest to psychologists but are not intended to have immediate real-world applications. Example: studying how people form attitudes or how cultures define intelligence.

Hypothesis

Expresses a relationship between two variables.

Variables

Things that can vary among the participants in the research.

Dependent Variable

The variable that depends on the independent variable. A change in the independent variable will produce a change in the dependent variable.

Independent Variable

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

Falsifiable

It must be possible to gather data that would controvert the hypothesis. Requires operational definitions of variables.

Validity

Research is valid when it measures what the researcher set out to measure.

Reliability

Research is reliable when it can be replicated.

Sample

A subset of individuals from a population. If representative, it accurately reflects the larger population.

Random Sampling

Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Convenience Sampling

Collecting data from a group of people who are easily accessible.

Stratified Sampling

A process to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria.

Confounding Variable

Any difference between the experimental and control conditions that might affect the dependent variable.

Random Assignment

Each participant has an equal chance of being placed into either the experimental or control group.

Experimenter Bias

The unconscious tendency for researchers to treat groups differently to confirm the hypothesis.

Double-Blind Study

Neither the participants nor the researcher knows who is in the experimental or control group.

Single-Blind Study

Only the participants do not know which group they are in.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency to give answers that reflect well upon oneself.

Positive Correlation

The presence of one thing predicts the presence of another.

Negative Correlation

The presence of one thing predicts the absence of the other.

Ex post facto study (quasi-experimental)

Research in which all other variables are controlled, but participants are not randomly assigned.

Likert Scale

A scale that poses a statement and asks for level of agreement/disagreement.

Directionality Problem

The inability to tell which of the two correlated variables came first.

Third Variable Problem

A separate, unmeasured variable that may be causing the relationship between two others.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing participants in their natural environments without any interaction.

Structured Interview

A survey format in which a fixed number of questions are asked in a set order.

Case Study

Used to get a full, detailed picture of one participant or a small group of participants.