PSYCH I lied!

Correlational studies

Looks at the relationship between two qualities or elements

Observations

Researches watch the actions of participants in order to record target behaviors

Case studies

Close observation of a specific person who has experienced a psychologically significant event

Interview

Researcher sits down with a participant and asks them questions about the topic being researched

Focus groups

Particular type of interview in which a group of participants with a specific quality in common are questioned

Questionnaires/surveys

Functions same as interviews but allow for larger samples

Undue stress

Higher level of stress that an individual may experience on a day to day basis

Informed consent

Participants knowing what it is they're agreeing to in the experiment as well as what rights they have

Deception

when a researcher gives false information to subjects or intentionally misleads them about some key aspect of the research

Debriefing

Explain all parts and aims and purpose of the experiment

Right to withdraw

Participants can remove themselves from the study at any time

Confidentiality

Keeping participants info secret

Reliability

The likelihood that the study could be replicated (done again) by other researchers, and the same result could be achieved.

Validity

The idea that the results of the study are trustworthy, unbiased, and can be applied to the target population.

Extraneous/Confounding Variable

A variable that influences the results of an experiment.

Internal Validity

The trustworthiness of a study based on the procedural steps put in place by the researcher. A study with confounding variables lacks internal validity.

Construct validity

To investigate if the measure really is measuring the theoretical construct it is supposed to be.

External validity

Is the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people.

Population validity

Whether you can reasonably generalize the findings from your sample to a larger group of people.

Ecological validity

A measure of how test performance predicts behaviors in real-world settings.

Demand characteristics

Created when the participant believes s/he knows the goal of a study, and (often subconsciously) changes his/her responses as a result.

Participant bias

The tendency of participants in an experiment to consciously or subconsciously act in a way that they think the researcher wants them to act.

Expectancy effect

When a participant acts a certain way because he wants to do what the researcher asks.

"Screw you" effect

Occurs when a participant attempts to figure out the researcher's hypothesis, but only in order to destroy the credibility of the study.

Social desirability effect

When participants react in a certain way because they feel that this is the "socially acceptable" thing to do - and they know that they are being observed.

Order effects

Changes in participants' responses that result from the order (eg. first, second, third) in which the experimental conditions are presented to them.

Fatigue effect

Occurs when participants are asked to take part in several conditions of the same experiment, they may get tired or bored. In either case, they may lose motivation to try their best or their concentration may be impaired, influencing the results.

Interference effects

Exist when the fact that someone has taken part in one condition affects his/her ability to take part in the next condition

Practice effect

When participants are asked to do a task repeatedly, improvement of results may be seen.

Researcher bias

When the beliefs or opinions of the researcher influence the outcomes or conclusions of the research.

Confirmation bias

When a researcher searches for or interprets information in a way that confirms a pre-existing belief or hypothesis.

Funding bias

When a researcher is compelled to find a specific result because of who their research is supported by

Publication bias

When researcher/funder only publishes chosen information

Double-blind control

When both researcher and participant are ignorant