Research methods in psych unit 1 (study tool for FRQ1)

experiment

-investigators manipulate one or more factors (independent) to observe the effect of some behavior or mental process (dependent)

correlational studies

-shows us how one trait is related to another

-usually shown through scatter plots

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

meta analysis

-statistical method used to combine and analyze the results of many different studies on the same topic

-can give researches a bigger sample size, fix the weaker parts of smaller studies, and creates clear conclusions

survey research

-technique for ascertaining the self-reporting attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

naturalistic observation

-observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

case studies

-observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hopes of revealing universal principles

-often suggest directions for future studies

longitudinal studies

-research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a period of time

cross-sectional studies

-study in which people of different ages/races/etc are compared with one another at a single point in time

mean

the average

median

when numbers are in numerical order it is he number in the middle

mode

number that appears most often in a data set

standard deviation

typical amount that data values differ from the mean

random selection

every person in the entire group has an equal chance of participating

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting difference between those assigned to different groups

confounding variables

factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in the experiment

independent variable

the experimental factor that is manipulated

dependent variable

outcome factor; variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

experimental group

group that is experiencing the treatment

control group

group that is not exposed to the treatment