new psyc chapter 2 flashcards

determinism

The idea that every event has a physical, potentially measurable cause

skepticism

The practice of doubting claims that are not supported by solid research evidence

scientific method

A systematic approach to gaining knowledge through objective observation, measurement, hypothesis testing, and analysis

hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between two or more events, variables, or characteristics

replication

Repetition of a research study, usually with some alterations in its methods or setting, to determine whether its findings hold up under similar circumstances

measurement

The use of numbers to represent events, behaviors, or characteristics

operational definition

A description of a behavior or quality in terms of the specific procedures used to measure or produce it

theory

An integrated set of statements that summarizes and explains research findings and from which research hypotheses can be generated

descriptive research

Research that involves systematically recording and describing behaviors or characteristics that have been observed

naturalistic observation

Recording behavior of people or animals in their natural environment without interfering with or manipulating the situation

ethology

The scientific study of animal behavior in its natural environment

case study

An in-depth study of an individual, group, or specific situation

survey

A set of questions about a topic of interest given to a sample of people, often through an interview or questionnaire

sample

A group of participants selected from a population for a research study

population

The entire group of individuals who share certain characteristics and to whom researchers want to generalize their findings

random sampling

Selecting a sample from a population so that each member has an equal chance of being included

psychological test

A formal, standardized sample of a person’s behavior used to measure psychological characteristics

standardization

The procedure that ensures a test is administered and scored consistently

norm

A score or set of scores used as a standard for assessing the performance of test takers

reliability

The extent to which a test or measurement produces consistent results

validity

The extent to which a test or measurement actually measures what it is intended to measure

archival research

The systematic examination of existing records, documents, databases, or other collections of information

correlational research

Research that examines the degree and direction of the relationship between two or more variables

variable

An event, behavior, condition, or characteristic that can have two or more values

positive correlation

A relationship in which two variables tend to change in the same direction

negative correlation

A relationship in which two variables tend to change in opposite directions

causation

A relationship in which a change in one or more variables produces an effect on another variable

experimental method

Research in which one or more variables are deliberately manipulated while other factors are controlled

independent variable

The variable manipulated by the experimenter to determine its effect on another variable

dependent variable

The variable that is measured to determine the effect of the independent variable

experimental group

Participants in an experiment who are exposed to the experimental condition or treatment

control group

Participants in an experiment who are not exposed to the experimental condition or treatment and serve as a comparison

field experiment

An experiment conducted in a real-life setting rather than in a laboratory

placebo

An inactive substance or treatment that resembles the experimental treatment and may produce effects because participants expect it to work

internal validity

The extent to which changes in the dependent variable can be attributed to the independent variable rather than other factors

confounding variable

An unwanted variable whose effect on the dependent variable could be confused with the effect of the independent variable

random assignment

Assigning participants to experimental conditions so that each participant has an equal chance of being placed in any condition

participant bias

A change in participants’ behavior caused by their knowledge or expectations about being in a study

experimenter bias effect

A situation in which an experimenter’s expectations or feelings influence how they treat participants or interpret the results

double-blind technique

A research procedure in which neither the participants nor the experimenters directly interacting with them know which condition participants are assigned to

external validity

The extent to which the results of a research study can be generalized to other people, settings, or situations

WEIRD

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic; a term used to describe populations that are frequently overrepresented in psychological research

descriptive statistics

Statistics used to summarize and describe research data

measure of central tendency

A statistic that represents the typical or central score in a set of data

mode

The value that appears most often in a set of data

median

The middle value in an ordered set of data

mean

The average value of a set of data, calculated by adding all scores and dividing by the number of scores

measure of variability

A statistic that describes how spread out or dispersed the scores in a data set are

range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a data set

standard deviation

A measure of how far, on average, scores in a data set are from the mean

coefficient of correlation

A statistic that describes the degree and direction of association between two or more variables

meta-analysis

A statistical method that combines the results of multiple studies to determine the overall effect of a particular variable or treatment

informed consent

A process in which participants are informed about their rights and what a study involves so they can make an informed decision about whether to participat