Dual enrollment Intro to Psychology Openstax 2E psychology chapter 2 vocab

archival research

Method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships.

attrition

Reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time.

cause-and-effect relationship

Changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design.

clinical or case study

Observational research study focusing on one or a few people.

confirmation bias

Tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs.

confounding variable

Unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable.

control group

Serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study.

correlation

Relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does.

correlation coefficient

Number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, usually represented by r.

cross-sectional research

Compares multiple segments of a population at a single time.

debriefing

When an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion.

deception

Purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment.

deductive reasoning

Results are predicted based on a general premise.

dependent variable

Variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had.

double-blind study

Experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments.

empirical

Grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again.

experimental group

Group designed to answer the research question; experimental manipulation is the only difference between experimental and control groups.

experimenter bias

Researcher expectations skew the results of the study.

fact

Objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research.

falsifiable

Able to be disproven by experimental results.

generalize

Inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population.

hypothesis

A testable prediction about how the world will behave if an idea is correct.

illusory correlation

Seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists.

independent variable

Variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter.

inductive reasoning

Conclusions are drawn from observations.

informed consent

Process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment and obtaining the person’s consent.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Committee that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Committee that reviews proposals for research involving human participants.

inter-rater reliability

Measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event.

longitudinal research

Studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed repeatedly over an extended period of time.

naturalistic observation

Observation of behavior in its natural setting.

negative correlation

Two variables change in different directions.

observer bias

When observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations.

operational definition

Description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables.

opinion

Personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate.

participants

Subjects of psychological research.

peer-reviewed journal article

Article read by experts who provide feedback regarding the quality before publication.

placebo effect

People's expectations or beliefs influencing their experience.

population

Overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in.

positive correlation

Two variables change in the same direction.

random assignment

Method in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group.

random sample

Subset of a larger population with equal chance of selection.

reliability

Consistency and reproducibility of a given result.

replicate

Repeating an experiment using different samples to determine reliability.

sample

Subset of individuals selected from the larger population.

single-blind study

Experiment in which the researcher knows group assignments.

statistical analysis

Determines likelihood that any difference between experimental groups is due to chance.

survey

List of questions answered by research participants to collect data.

Theory

Well-developed set of ideas proposing an explanation for observed phenomena.

validity

Accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure.