AP PSYCH u0 - research methods

hypothesis

testable predictions; often implied by a theory

theory

explains behavior/events by offering ideas that organize observations and predict behavior/events

overconfidence

tendency for humans to think we know more than we actually do

operational definition

exact description of how to get a value of the variable you’re measuring - step by step

replication

repeating a study with the same methods, different subjects and different expeimenters

case study

study of a single/few people with a rare situation in order to understand it - should not be replicated

naturalistic observation

studying a human/animal’s behavior in their natural habitat

survey

questionnaires/interviews are given to a population in order to understand a group as a whole

social desirability bias / effect

where participants conform their answer to the assumed socially acceptable answer or to the answer they think the researcher wants to hear

self report bias

where we tend to report our behavior inaccurately

sampling bias

flawed sampling process where an unrepresentative sample is produced

random sample

sampling where every potential paricipant has an equal chance of being chosen

population

the people being studied in a group where samples are being taken

correlation

the relationship between two variables

correlation coefficient (r=)

when 1 trait/behavior varies with the other, the two correlate - scale of 0-1, marked with + and - signs to indicate direction

single blind study

the participants don’t know which group there in/the purpose of the study

double blind study

the participants and researchers don’t know wha group there in / the purpose of the study

placebo effect

where a person takes/does something and the belief in its ability manifests it to occur

confounding variable

extraneous variable that isn’t controlled for and effects the results

experimenter bias

where the predispositional beliefs of the experimenter effect the study

validity

the extent a study measured what it was supposed to

quantitative research

numerical data

qualitative data

in depth, narrative data

informed consent/assent

consent given to participate after being informed

debriefing

informing a participants of the study they partook in after it’s conducted and giving them a way to get the results

mode

most frequently occurring value

median

middle value

mean

average value

standard deviation

how much scores vary/are close to the mean

normal curve

bell curve - consistent distribution of data

meta analysis

looking at + analyzing multiple studies to draw a conclusion

statistical significance

measurement of how likely the results are due to chance, not the IV

p value

the amount of statistical significance in a study - 0.5 or lower is required to be statistically significant

critical thinking

using logic, reasoning, and careful examination to determine the accuracy of suspicious data

peer reviewers

scientific experts that evaluate a study’s theory, originality, and accuracy

scatterplot

graph of points based on the values of 2 variables - slope = direction, amt of scatter = strength of relationship

illusory correlation

perceiving a nonexistent / stronger than reality relationship

regression towards the mean

tendency for unusual / extreme results to regress back to the average

experiment

intended to establish cause + effect relationships between variables - find out if an IV influenced a DV

experimental vs control group

group that’s subjected to a change (IV) vs group that isn’t changed (usually the control believes they’re in the experimental)

random assignment

randomly assigning subjects to control & experimental groups

IV vs DV

variable that’s being manipulated vs variable that’s being measured & affected by the IV

reliability

results can be replicated by another experimenter

descriptive vs inferential stats

telling someone about the data vs making predictions based on the data

skewed distribution

score set without symmetry around the mean

effect size

strength of a relationship between two variables

range

highest value - lowest value

IRB

institutional review board : committee that reviews and monitors research w human subjects to predict their rights + health