AP Pyschology Unit 0 terms

Critical thinking

thinking that does not allow trhe mind to go straight to accept other opinions or conclusion

Hindsight Bias

the tendency for someone to believe that after learning the outcome they knew it would be that all along

Peer reviewers

scientific experts who look over research articles theroy, originality, and accuracy to ensure its ready for publication.

Theory

explanation that utilizes a certain ser of principles that help organize observations and predicts behaviors/events.

Hypothesis

a testable prediction that is often implied by a theory

falsifiable

an idea, theory, or hypothesis can be disproven by observations and experiments

Operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

Replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.

Case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Naturalistic observation

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation.

Survey

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.

social desirability bias

tendency for participants to give responses they believe the researcher want or what is socially acceptable

self reported bias

bias when people report their behaviors inaccurately

Sampling bias

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.

random sample

sample in which every person in a population has an equal chance of being included

population

all people in a group being studied that could be chosen for random samples to be drawn from them

Correlation

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

Correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things

Variable

anything that can vary and is ethical to measure in an experiment

scatter plot

a graphed cluster of dots representing the values of 2 variables + amount of scatter =strength of correlation

Regression toward the mean

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back (regress) toward the average

experiment

research method where an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect of some behavior or mental process.

illusory correlation

preception of a relation when none actually exists

Experimental group

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Control group

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups.

Single-blind procedure

a procedure in which participants are unaware of the experimental conditions under which they are operating

Double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent

Confounding varible

other factors that aren’t particularly being studied, but can influence the results if the study.

Experimenter bias

any systematic errors in the research process or the interpretation of its results that are attributable to a researcher's behavior, preconceived beliefs, expectancies, or desires about results. For example, a researcher may inadvertently cue participants to behave or respond in a particular way.

Independent variable

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Dependent variable

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated.

Validity

the extent to which a test or experiment measures or predicts what it is supposed to.

Quantatitve research

methods that use numerical data

Qaulitative research

methods that rely on in-depth narrative Dara (not numerical)

informed consent

giving potential participant enough info about the study to allow them to choose if they want to participate

debriefing

post-experimental explanation of a study (purpose/deceptions) to its participants

descriptive statistics

nurmerical data used to m,measure/describe characteristics of groups

historgram

bar graph that depicts a frequency distribution

Mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.

Mean

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

perentile rank

percentage of scores that are equal to or lower than a given score

Skewed distribution

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value.

Normal curve

a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (about 68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes.

Standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.

Range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

Inferential statistics

numerical data that allow one to generalize—to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population.

Meta-analysis

a procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies

Statistical significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.

Effect sizes

strength of the relationship between 2 variables