ap psych unit 0

Hindsight bias

People have the tendency upon hearing about research findings (and many other things) to think that they knew it all along; this tendency is called hindsight bias.

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to pay more attention to information that supports our preexisting ideas.

Hypothesis

expresses a relationship between two variables. Variables, by definition, are things that can vary among the participants in the research.

random assignment

The process of randomly assigning participants to different groups in an experiment to ensure each group is similar and to minimize bias.

Confounding variable:

any difference between the experimental and control conditions, except for the independent variable, that might affect the dependent variable.

• Experimenter bias:

unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming the researchers' hypothesis.

social desirability bias

A type of response bias where participants provide socially acceptable answers rather than their true feelings or behaviors to avoid negative judgment.

Double-blind study:

A double-blind study occurs when neither the participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research.

Single Blind study

A study design where participants are unaware of their group assignments, but the researchers know which participants belong to which group. This helps reduce participant bias.

Positive correlation:

A positive correlation between two things means that the presence of one thing predicts the presence of the other.

• Negative correlation:

A negative correlation means that the presence of one thing predicts the absence of the other.

naturalistic observation:

Sometimes researchers opt to observe their participants in their natural habitats without interacting with them at a

Case study

used to get a full, detailed picture of one participant or a small group of participants

Central tendency:

Measures of central tendency attempt to mark the center of a distribution. Three common measures of central tendency are the mean, median, and mode.

Correlation:

A correlation measures the relationship between two variables.

Peer review:

a process by which a paper is read by several others in the field and the is author asked to make revisions in order to ensure high quality publications.

• Informed consent:

• Participants must know that they are involved in research and give their consent

• Debriefing:

After the study, participants should be told the purpose of the study and provided with ways to contact the researchers about the results. 

case study

non experimental- detailed examination of a single subject or group, thorough examination of a sample/individual over a time period using information-gathering techniques

Control Group

Group in experiment w/o independent var. or change; used for comparison​

Debriefing

Providing participants w/ information about experiment/study after participation, esp. If deception was used

Correlational study

examines the relationship between two or more

Falsifiability

Idea that a hypothesis must have possible evidence to be refuted to be deemed scientific

Mean

Average of a data set

Median

Middle value within a dataset when arranged in ascending/descending order

Naturalistic Observations

Research method of observing participants in a natural setting/conditions to understand how trends/outcomes occur without variable manipulation

Operational Definitions

The specific/exact specifications research/experiments must be conducted by and how variables must be measured

Placebo

Inert substance given to control group to evaluate psychological effects of receiving a “treatment”

Placebo effect

Trend of participants changing behavior under the belief that they received an active treatment

Random sample

Sample size in which participants had equal chance of being selected relative to the rest of the population

Range

Difference of highest/lowest values in a data set to recognize spread of data

Regression toward mean

The trend of outcomes within an experiment to drift towards the mean as the experiment is replicated

Sampling bias

Bias affecting outcomes when the sample is not accurately representative of the population the research refers to

Self report bias

Distortion in responses given by participants due to social desirability, memory recall, or misunderstanding of questions

meta anaylsis

A statistical technique that combines the results of multiple studies to identify patterns, discrepancies, or overall effects. It helps to synthesize research findings and improve the understanding of a particular topic.

validity

The credibility and reliability of the research findings, indicating that the study accurately measures what it intends to.