Psychological Research Flashcards

Flashcards for Psychology Research Lecture Review

The Scientific Method

Ensures results are empirical, grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed repeatedly.

Hypothesis

A tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Theory

A well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena.

Fairness (in Scientific Method)

All data must be considered when evaluating a hypothesis.

Falsifiable (in Scientific Method)

It should be possible to disprove a theory or hypothesis by experimental results.

Predictability (in Scientific Method)

A theory should enable us to make predictions about future events.

Verifiability (in Scientific Method)

An experiment must be replicable by another researcher.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee that reviews research proposals involving human participants to ensure they are not harmed.

Informed Consent

A research participant must understand the experiment, risks, implications, and give written consent.

Deception (in research)

Misleading experiment participants to maintain the integrity of the experiment.

Debriefing

Telling participants the truth after an experiment involving deception.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

A group that reviews research proposals involving animals to ensure humane treatment.

Descriptive Research

Research studies that describe general or specific behaviors and attributes.

Correlational Research

Research that tests whether a relationship exists between two or more variables.

Experimental Research

Research that tests a hypothesis to determine cause and effect relationships.

Clinical or Case Study

Observational research focusing on one or a few people.

Naturalistic Observation

Observation of behavior in its natural setting.

Survey

A list of questions answered by research participants to collect data.

Sample

A representative group used to learn more about a population

Archival Research

Research using past records or data sets to answer research questions.

Cross-sectional Research

Compares multiple segments of a population at a single time.

Longitudinal Research

Studies in which the same group is surveyed repeatedly over time.

Observer Bias

Observations skewed to align with observer expectations.

Inter-rater Reliability

Measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify events.

Correlation Coefficient

A number from -1 to +1 indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables.

Confounding Variable

Some other factor that could be causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest

Control Group

The group in a study that does not receive the treatment.

Experimental Group

The group in a study that receives the treatment.

Random Samples

Ensures that the groups represent the larger population being studied.

Random Assignment

Prevents differences between the control and experimental groups other than the independent variable being tested.

Operational Definition

A clear description of how the variables in a study will be measured.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated or controlled by the researcher.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured to see how it is affected by the independent variable.

Double-blind Study

Where neither the researchers nor the participants know which group received the treatment.

Placebo Effect

The influence of people’s expectations or beliefs on their experience.

Reliability

Consistency and reproducibility of a given result.

Validity

Accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure.

Distribution

Analyzing the pattern of variation of data which often reveals insights.

Statistical Significance

A result is this if it is unlikely to arise by chance alone.

P-value

Tells you how often a random process would give a result at least as extreme as what was found in the actual study, assuming there was nothing other than random chance at play.

Random Sampling

Necessary to generalize results from a sample to a larger population.

Random Assignment

Key to drawing cause-and-effect conclusions.

Abstract

A concise summary of the article.

Introduction (of research article)

Provides background information about the origin and purpose of the experiment.

Method (of Research Article)

Covers the methodologies used to investigate the research question.

Results (of Research Article)

Presents the key findings of the research, including reference to indicators of statistical significance.

Discussion (of Research Article)

Provides an interpretation of the findings, states their significance, and derives implications for theory and practice.