Unit 0 AP Psychology Vocab Part 1

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for or favor information that confirms what we already believe.

Cultural Norms

Rules or expectations for behavior shared by members of a cultural group.

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher’s expectations or beliefs unintentionally influence the outcome of a study.

Hindsight Bias

The “I knew it all along” effect; believing after the fact that an outcome was predictable.

Overconfidence

Overestimating how much we know or how accurate our judgments are.

Peer Review

The process where other experts evaluate a study before it is published to ensure accuracy and credibility.

Case study

In-depth analysis of one individual or group to reveal universal principles.

confidentiality

Ensuring participant information is kept private and not shared.

Confounding variables

Factors other than the independent variable that might influence results.

control group

The group not exposed to the independent variable; used for comparison.

debriefing

Explaining the purpose and any deception of a study to participants afterward.

deception research

Studies where participants are not fully informed to prevent bias (must be ethically justified).

Dependent variables

The outcome that researchers measure to see the effect of changes.

Double blind study

Neither participants nor researchers know who is in the experimental or control group, reducing bias.

experiment

A research method that manipulates variables to establish cause-and-effect.

experimental group

The group exposed to the independent variable.

falsifiabilty

The ability for a hypothesis to be tested and possibly proven wrong.

generalizabilty

The extent to which research findings apply to people beyond the study sample.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

Independent variables

The factor manipulated by the researcher to see its effect.

Informed Assent

Agreement to participate given by minors, with parental consent.

Informed Consent

Participants agreeing to take part in a study after being told what it involves.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee that reviews studies to ensure they meet ethical standards.

Likert Scales

Rating scales (e.g., 1–5) used to measure attitudes or opinions.

Naturalistic Observations

Observing behavior in natural settings without interference.

Operational Definitions

Defining variables in specific, measurable ways.

Placebo

An inactive substance or treatment used as a control in experiments.

Placebo Effect

Improvement due to the belief in treatment, not the treatment itself.

Professional Ethics

Rules guiding responsible and moral conduct in psychological research.

Qualitative research/measures

Data that is descriptive (words, observations) rather than numerical.

Quantitative research/measures

Data that is numerical and measurable.

Random Assignment

Placing participants into groups by chance to minimize bias.

Replication

Repeating a study to see if the findings are consistent.

Single Blind Study

Participants don’t know which group they are in, but researchers do.

Social Desirability bias

Tendency for participants to respond in ways they think are socially acceptable.

Structured interviews

Standardized questions asked in a fixed order to collect data.

survey

A method of collecting self-reported attitudes or behaviors from a large group.

theory

A well-tested explanation that organizes and predicts behavior or events.

validity

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