Psychology Learning Curves 2a & 2b: Empiricism and Methods of Observation & Methods of Explanation and Thinking Critically About Evidence

studied byStudied by 0 people
0.0(0)
learn
LearnA personalized and smart learning plan
exam
Practice TestTake a test on your terms and definitions
spaced repetition
Spaced RepetitionScientifically backed study method
heart puzzle
Matching GameHow quick can you match all your cards?
flashcards
FlashcardsStudy terms and definitions

1 / 38

encourage image

There's no tags or description

Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.

39 Terms

1

Empiricists attempt to understand natural phenomena through the use of:

observation

New cards
2

In addition to reliability and validity, good measurements should also have:

power

New cards
3

What is one efficient way that researchers have of representing vast amounts data?

graphic representation

New cards
4

Which statement BEST describes the relationship between a theory and a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is derived from a theory.

New cards
5

When a device actually measures what it is supposed to be measuring, that device has:

construct validity.

New cards
6

Which statistic is a measure of variability?

standard deviation

New cards
7

A psychologist observes that some people exposed to a traumatic childhood experience develop anxiety disorders later in life, while others do not. This example illustrates:

variability

New cards
8

"It gives me a completely different result each time I take it!" Kishara exclaims, after completing a social media quiz for the third time. Kishara is disputing the quiz's:

reliability

New cards
9

Cindy notes the number of times elementary school children pick specific colours as their favorite colour. She arranges this information in graph form using bars to represent each colour. This is an example of a:

frequency distribution.

New cards
10

After hearing that people are more likely to yawn after seeing others yawn, a(n) _____ will directly observe people to determine if this is true.

empiricist

New cards
11

Kris has heard that people are more likely to yawn after seeing others yawn. She decides to develop her own theories about why this may be true. Kris can be called a(n):

theorist

New cards
12

Big Pun, a famous rapper, weighed more than 600 pounds. What might someone conclude about the variability of weights in a sample if a researcher included the weight of Big Pun?

She might think that there was wider variation than actually exists.

New cards
13

Which statement presents an example of a demand characteristic?

Sara rates her professor favorably on a critique because he is watching the class and collecting the data personally.

New cards
14

Professor Knice gives an exam to his introductory psychology class of 300 students, and everyone earns a grade of A. The exam probably lacks the _____ to detect which students studied and which did not.

power

New cards
15

The number of social media followers one has is a potential ______ definition of popularity.

operational

New cards
16

A scientist theorizes that several billion years ago, a large asteroid collided with the earth, knocking tons of rock into space and creating the moon. Which statement constitutes a research hypothesis that follows from this theory?

Moon rock is made of the same elements as earth rock.

New cards
17

The general goal of scientific research into why people behave the way they do compared with others is to:

identify the causal relationships that explain differences between groups.

New cards
18

A correlation observed in the natural world is known as a _____ correlation.

natural

New cards
19

External validity is:

the characteristic of an experiment in which variables have been operationally defined in a realistic way.

New cards
20

The number of different types of Olympic medals (gold, silver, bronze) that a country wins is an example of a:

variable

New cards
21

How do researchers determine if random assignment has failed?

Researchers use inferential statistics.

New cards
22

What is the relationship between statistical significance and internal validity?

If an experiment has statistical significance, chances are very good that it has internal validity.

New cards
23

If there is a positive correlation between the amount of sleep a student receives and reported levels of anger, this means that, as the amount of sleep decreases, anger:

decreases

New cards
24

Suzanne is a personal trainer who is studying the effects of a protein supplement on the muscle mass of her clients. She has randomly assigned her clients to a group that receives the supplement and one that does not. She calculates muscle mass of both groups at the beginning of her study, again at 4 weeks, and finally at 8 weeks. These two groups have different experiences that are known as the _____ of the study.

conditions

New cards
25

Which statement presents a reason the similarity of a sample and population does not always matter?

A result can be important even when the sample is not representative of the population.

New cards
26

If reported levels of anxiety decrease as the amount of sleep increases, this is a _____ correlation.

negative

New cards
27

Which example illustrates random assignment?

Participants in a drug study are assigned to either experimental or placebo groups using a coin toss.

New cards
28

Internal validity is:

the characteristic of an experiment that establishes the causal relationship between variables.

New cards
29

If age increases with an increase in height, this describes a _____ correlation.

positive

New cards
30

If a researcher studies the effects of different amounts of sugar on the activity level of rats, the activity level of the rats is called:

a variable.

New cards
31

Uwe thinks his dog is losing his hair because Uwe switched him to a new brand of food. Uwe gradually reduces the amount of food from the new brand and increases the amount of the old brand until the dog is only eating the old brand of food. The variable that was manipulated is:

the type and amount of dog food.

New cards
32

Which example illustrates a causal relationship?

determining that the gene that results in red hair also causes lower pain tolerance

New cards
33

Celeste wants to understand why her identical twin sisters are more alike than are she and their older sister. Celeste is interested in which goal of scientific research?

identifying the causal relationships that explain differences between groups

New cards
34

A(n) _____ is a way to gather knowledge by studying a single individual.

case method

New cards
35

Researchers want to see if playing with a specific toy increases the verbal abilities of young children. One group of children plays with the new toy for 4 hours a week for 4 weeks and is given a vocabulary test at the end of the experiment. The other group of matched pairs follows the same schedule, but these children play outside instead of with the toy. Whether the children play outside or with the toy is the _____ variable.

independent

New cards
36

The characteristic of an experiment in which variables have been operationally defined in a realistic way is:

external validity.

New cards
37

Kaci wants to examine how including a picture of a menu item influences how often a person orders that menu item. The number of times a person orders that specific menu item is the:

dependent variable.

New cards
38

Noted developmental psychologist Jean Piaget based his theory in large part on in-depth examinations of his own three children. Piaget's work exemplifies _____ research.

case method

New cards
39

The word hangry refers to the relationship between hunger and anger often observed in everyday life. The textbook refers to this type of relationship as a _____ correlation.

natural

New cards
robot