Unit Zero: Research Methods in Psychology (New CED)

Psychology

the scientific study of mental processes and behavior.

Mental Processes

Thoughts, feelings, and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be directly observed.

Behavior

Any action that people can observe or measure

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to favor information that confirms your existing beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

The feeling after something happens that you knew it was going to happen.

Overconfidence

Being more confident than correct; overestimating the accuracy of your beliefs.

Empirical Evidence

Information from experiments or observations rather than theories.

Scientific Method

A step-by-step method for conducting research.

Hypothesis

A prediction that you can test through study and experimentation.

Falsifiable

Something that can be proven wrong through tests.

Peer Review

The process of having other experts examine your work to check its validity.

Replication

Repeating a study to see if the same results are obtained.

Reliability

The consistency of a research study or measuring test.

Validity

The accuracy of a test or research to measure what it claims to measure.

The American Psychological Association (APA)

A major organization for psychologists in the United States.

Research Design

The plan for a research study, determining how to collect and analyze data.

Methodology

The specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select, process, and analyze information about a topic.

Quantitative Data

Data that can be counted or measured and given a numerical value.

Qualitative Data

Data that describes qualities or characteristics.

Likert Scales

A scale used to represent people's attitudes or feelings; respondents specify their level of agreement to a statement.

Structured Interviews

Interviews where everyone is asked the same questions in the same way.

Survey Technique

A method of gathering information by asking questions to people.

Wording Effect

How the way a question is phrased can influence the answers given.

Social Desirability Bias:

The tendency of respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others.

Naturalistic Observation

Watching behaviors occur naturally without interfering.

Case Study

A detailed examination of a single subject or group.

Correlational Research

A study that investigates the relationship between two variables to determine if they vary together.

Third Variable Problem

A situation where an unseen variable affects the results of a study.

Scatterplot

A graph in which the values of two variables are plotted along two axes, the pattern of the resulting points revealing any correlation present.

Correlation Coefficient

A number between -1 and 1 that describes the strength and direction of a relationship between variables.

Positive Correlation

A relationship where if one variable increases, the other does too.

Negative Correlation

A relationship where if one variable increases, the other decreases.

Experimental Method:

A method where the researcher manipulates one variable to see if it affects another.

Independent Variable

The variable that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is tested and measured in a scientific experiment.

Confounding Variable

An extra variable that wasn't accounted for that could affect the results of an experiment.

Operational Definitions

Clearly defining how you will measure your variables in research.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that does not receive the test variable.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, which helps ensure that any differences observed after the treatment are due to the treatment and not a preexisting difference.

Placebo Effect

A change in a participant's illness or behavior that results from a belief that the treatment will have an effect, rather than the actual treatment.

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher's expectations influence the outcome of a study.

Single-Blind Study

When the participants do not know whether they are receiving the treatment or not.

Double-Blind Study

When neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving a particular treatment.

Placebo Condition

A condition in which participants receive a placebo instead of the actual treatment.

Sample

A group of subjects selected from a larger population for study.

Representative Sample:

A randomly chosen sample of subjects from a larger population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the larger population.

Random Sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of being included.

Sample Bias

A sample that does not accurately represent the population from which it was drawn.

Generalizability

The extent to which research findings can be applied to larger populations.

Statistics

The science of collecting, analyzing, presenting, and interpreting data.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistics that summarize data, such as mean or standard deviation

Inferential Statistics:

Statistics used to infer the properties of a population, based on a sample of data.

Measure of Central Tendency:

A statistical measure that describes the center of a data set; includes mean, median, and mode.

Mean

The average of a set of numbers.

Median

The middle number in a set of numbers arranged in order.

Mode

The number that appears most frequently in a data set.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.

Normal Curve

A bell-shaped curve that shows data distribution; most scores fall near the middle.

Regression to the Mean

The phenomenon that extreme values in data tend to be closer to the average on subsequent measurements.

Positive Skew

When more scores fall on the low side of the scale and tail on the high side.

Negative Skew

When more scores fall on the high side of the scale and tail on the low side.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how spread out numbers are around the mean.

Percentile Rank

The percentage of scores in a distribution that a specific score is greater than.

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution of data with two modes or peaks.

Statistical Significance

The likelihood that a result from data collected by an experiment is not due to chance.

Effect Sizes

A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables.

Meta Analysis

A method of combining data from many different research studies.

Institutional Review Boards (IRB)

Groups of people responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure that it is ethical.

Informed Consent

Permission granted in the knowledge of the possible consequences, typically that which is given by a patient to a doctor for treatment with full knowledge of the possible risks and benefits.

Informed Assent

Agreement by a minor or other not able to give legal consent to participate in the activity.

Confidentiality

Keeping information given by participants in a research study private.

Deception

Misleading participants about the true purpose of a study or the events that will transpire.

Confederates

Actors who take part in a study pretending to be real participants.

Debriefing

Explaining to participants at the end of a study the true purpose of the study and exactly what transpired.

Psychodynamic Perspective

This approach looks at how our unconscious mind and childhood experiences shape our behaviors and emotions.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable behaviors and how they're learned through interactions with the environment.

Humanistic Perspective

Emphasizes personal growth and the concept that everyone has the potential to achieve their own form of greatness.

Cognitive Perspective

Examines how we process information, including how we think, understand, and remember information.

Biological Perspective

Investigates the physical and biological bases of behavior, such as brain structures, chemicals, and genetics.

Evolutionary Perspective

Considers how behaviors and mental processes might have developed over time to increase survival chances.

Sociocultural Perspective

Looks at how our behaviors and thoughts are influenced by the society and culture we live in.

Biopsychosocial Perspective

Integrates biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors to provide a comprehensive understanding of human behavior.