IB Psych Unit 1 Research Methods Vocab List

*Definitions from Google*

Case Studies

A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context.

Confounding variable

A confounding variable is a third variable that influences both the independent and dependent variables. Failing to account for confounding variables can cause you to wrongly estimate the relationship between your independent and dependent variables.

Construct validity

Construct validity refers to how well a test or tool measures the construct that it was designed to measure

Control group

the control group comprises participants who do not receive the experimental treatment.

Controls

a person's ability or perception of their ability to affect themselves, others, their conditions, their environment or some other circumstance

Convenience/opportunity sampling

Convenience sampling involves using respondents who are “convenient” to the researcher. There is no pattern whatsoever in acquiring these respondents—they may be recruited merely asking people who are present in the street, in a public building, or in a workplace, for example.

Correlation vs. causation

Causation indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of the other event;A correlation between variables, however, does not automatically mean that the change in one variable is the cause of the change in the values of the other variable

Correlational research 

A correlational study is a type of research design that looks at the relationships between two or more variables

Demand characteristics 

demand characteristics are cues that might indicate the research objectives to participants. These cues can lead participants to change their behaviors or responses based on what they think the research is about.

Ecological validity

Ecological validity, in psychology, is a measure of how test performance predicts behaviors in real-world settings

Ethical considerations

Ethical considerations in research are a set of principles that guide your research designs and practices.

Experimental hypothesis

a premise that describes what a researcher in a scientific study hopes to demonstrate if certain conditions are met

Experiments 

an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested.

Field Experiments 

a scientific study that is conducted outside of a controlled laboratory setting, in a real-world environment

Independent samples

There is no relationship between the subjects in each sample.

Independent variable

a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying to measure.

Internal validity

the degree of confidence that the causal relationship being tested is trustworthy and not influenced by other factors or variables

Inter-rater reliability

a measure of the consistency and agreement between two or more raters or observers in their assessments, judgments, or ratings of a particular phenomenon or behaviour

Matched pairs 

A Special case of randomized block design, where an experiment only has two treatment conditions.

Natural experiments

Natural experiments are observational studies, not true. experiments;

Naturalistic observation

Naturalistic observation is a method that involves observing subjects in their natural environment. The goal is to look at behavior in a natural setting without intervention.

Placebo effect

The placebo effect is when a person's physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a placebo or 'dummy' treatment.

Population validity 

Population validity refers to whether you can reasonably generalize the findings from your sample to a larger group of people (the population).Qualitative research

Qualitative research

Qualitative research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-numerical data, such as language

Quantitative research

the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data.

Quasi-experiment

an experiment where participants cannot be randomly assigned to the independent variable.

Random sample 

a technique in which a researcher selects a random subset of people from a larger group or population

Reliability

Reliability in psychology is the consistency of the findings or results of a psychology research study

Repeated measures

an experimental design where the same participants take part in each condition of the experiment.

Replication

the repetition of an original experiment or research study to verify or bolster confidence in its results.

Research design 

the specific approach used to scientifically collect, analyze and then interpret data.

Researcher

Research psychologists use scientific methods to examine questions and test hypotheses with the aim of understanding human thought and behavior

Stratified sampling

researchers divide subjects into subgroups called strata based on characteristics that they share

Validity

Validity refers to how well a test actually measures what it was created to measure

Volunteer (self-selected) sampling

a sampling technique where participants self-select to become part of a study because they volunteer when asked, or respond to an advert.