Myers Psychology 11e - Chapter 01

intuition

an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted with explicit, conscious reasoning. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 pp. 20, 359)

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (Also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon.) (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 20)

critical thinking

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 24)

theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 26)

hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 26)

operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 26)

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 26)

case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 28)

naturalistic observation

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 28)

survey

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 30)

population

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn. (Note: Except for national studies, this does not refer to a country's whole population.) (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 31)

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 31)

correlation

a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 31)

correlation coefficient

a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from −1.00 to +1.00). (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 31)

scatterplot

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation). (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 31)

regression toward the mean

the tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back (regress) toward the average. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 33)

experiment

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 35)

experimental group

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 35)

control group

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 35)

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 35)

double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 36)

placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 36)

independent variable

in an experiment, the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 37)

confounding variable

in an experiment, a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 37)

dependent variable

in an experiment, the outcome that is measured; the variable that may change when the independent variable is manipulated. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 37)

informed consent

giving potential participants enough information about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 40)

debriefing

the postexperimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 41)

mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 43)

mean

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 43)

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 43)

range

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 45)

standard deviation

a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 45)

normal curve

(normal distribution) a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (about 68 percent fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer and fewer near the extremes. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 pp. 45, 396)

statistical significance

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. (Myers Psychology 11e CH01 p. 47)