Research Methods Application Quiz (UNIT 1B VOCAB )

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that you would have predicted or expected it beforehand.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

Operational Definition

A precise description of how a variable is measured or manipulated in a study.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data that can be measured and analyzed statistically.

Qualitative Data

Non-numerical data that describes qualities, characteristics, experiences, or behaviors.

Replication

Repeating a study to see whether the original findings can be reproduced.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of one individual, group, or situation.

Structured Interview

An interview in which the researcher asks all participants the same predetermined questions in the same order.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behavior in its natural environment without interfering with the situation.

Survey

A method of collecting information by asking people questions about their attitudes, behaviors, or experiences.

Sampling Bias

A bias that occurs when a sample does not accurately represent the population being studied.

Convenience Sample

A sample selected because the participants are easy for the researcher to access.

Population

The entire group of people or subjects that a researcher is interested in studying.

Random Sample

A sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Random Assignment

A procedure in which participants are randomly placed into different groups in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The variable that a researcher changes or manipulates in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured in an experiment; it is expected to change as a result of the independent variable.

Confounding Variable

An unwanted variable that differs between groups and could affect the results of an experiment.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency for people to give answers that they believe will make them look good or be socially acceptable.

Correlation

A statistical relationship between two variables in which changes in one variable are associated with changes in another.

Correlation Coefficient

A number from -1 to +1 that describes the strength and direction of a correlation between two variables.

Scatterplot

A graph that displays the relationship between two quantitative variables using individual data points.

Illusory Correlation

The perception of a relationship between two variables when no actual relationship exists or the relationship is much weaker than perceived.

Experiment

A research method in which a researcher manipulates an independent variable and measures its effect on a dependent variable while controlling other variables.

Single-Blind Procedure

A procedure in which either the participants or the researchers do not know which treatment or group the participants are in.

Double-Blind Procedure

A procedure in which neither the participants nor the researchers who interact with them know which treatment or group the participants are in.

Placebo

An inactive treatment that resembles the real treatment but has no therapeutic effect.

Placebo Effect

A change in behavior or symptoms caused by a person's belief that they are receiving an effective treatment.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the treatment or experiences the independent variable.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment and is used as a comparison.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical method that combines the results of multiple studies to identify overall patterns or effects.

Mode

The most frequently occurring value in a set of data.

Mean

The arithmetic average of a set of numbers, calculated by adding all values and dividing by the number of values.

Median

The middle value in a set of data when the values are arranged in order.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Skewed Distribution

A distribution in which the data are not symmetric and have a longer tail on one side.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how much individual scores in a data set typically differ from the mean.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistics used to organize, summarize, and describe the characteristics of a data set.

Inferential Statistics

Statistics used to draw conclusions about a population based on data from a sample.

Statistical Significance

A result that is unlikely to have occurred by chance according to a predetermined statistical criterion.

Effect Size

A measure of the strength or magnitude of a difference or relationship between variables.

Informed Consent

An agreement to participate in research after being given information about the study, including its procedures, risks, and benefits.

Informed Assent

An agreement by a minor to participate in research after receiving an age-appropriate explanation of the study.

Confederates

People who are secretly working with the researcher and pretend to be participants in an experiment.

Debriefing

The process of explaining the purpose, procedures, and results of a study to participants after the research is completed.