Unit Zero - Research Design Cram Packet

Basic vocabulary and concepts for research design, including hypothesis, operational definitions, research designs, statistics, and ethical guidelines.

Hypothesis

Tentative explanation that must be falsifiable.

Operational Definition

Clear, precise, quantifiable definition of variables allowing replication and reliable data collection.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive data (e.g., eye color).

Quantitative Data

Numerical data that is ideal and necessary for statistics.

Population

Everyone the research could apply to.

Sample

The specific people (or person) chosen for the study.

Correlation

Identifies relationship between two variables; useful when experiments are unethical.

Experiments

Purposefully manipulate variables to determine cause/effect.

Independent Variable

Variable purposefully altered by researcher to look for effect.

Experimental Group

Group that receives the treatment (part of the IV).

Control Group

Placebo or baseline (part of the IV).

Dependent Variable

Measured variable (is dependent on the independent variable).

Placebo Effect

Any observed effect caused by the placebo.

Double-Blind Study

Experiment where neither participant nor experimenter knows condition assignments.

Single-Blind Study

Only the participant is blind to their condition assignment.

Confound

Error or flaw accidentally introduced in a study.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to control or experimental group at random to increase equal representation.

Naturalistic Observation

Observe people in their natural settings.

Case Study

Studies one person (usually) in great detail.

Meta-Analysis

Combines multiple studies to increase sample size and examine effect sizes.

Inferential Statistics

Establishes significance (meaningfulness).

Statistical Significance

Results not due to chance; experimental manipulation caused the difference in means.

Effect Size

Data has practical significance.

Confidentiality

Names kept secret (ethical guideline).

Informed Consent

Must agree to be part of the study (ethical guideline).

Informed Assent

Minors and their parents must agree (ethical guideline).

Debriefing

Must be told the true purpose of the study (done after deception).

Random Sample (Selection)

Method of choosing participants where everyone has a chance to take part.

Representative Sample

Sample that mirrors the general population.

Convenience Sample

Select participants based on availability; less representative.

Sampling Bias

Sample isn't representative due to convenience sampling.

Experimenter Bias/Participant Bias

Experimenter/participant expectations influences the outcome.

Cognitive Bias

Bias in thinking.

Confirmation Bias

Finding evidence that supports preexisting beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

"I knew it all along" phenomenon.

Overconfidence

Overestimation of knowledge/abilities.

Hawthorne Effect

People act differently when they know they are being watched.

Mean

Average (use in normal distribution).

Median

Middle number (use in skewed distribution).

Mode

Occurs most often.

Bimodal

Has two modes.

Range

Distance between smallest and biggest number.

Standard Deviation

Average amount the scores are spread from the mean.