AP Psychology Key Terms

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards for AP Psychology key research terms and concepts based on the provided lecture slides.

Vertical Thinking

Thinking logically and step-by-step to solve a problem.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe you knew something would happen after it already happened.

Peer Reviewers

Experts who evaluate research before it is published.

Theory

An organized explanation supported by evidence that explains observations.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about what will happen.

Falsifiable

Able to be tested and potentially proven wrong.

Operational Definition

A specific description of how a variable will be measured or tested.

Replication

Repeating a study to see if the results can be reproduced.

Case Study

An in-depth study of one person, group, or situation.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in its natural environment without interfering.

Survey

A method of collecting information by asking people questions.

Social Desirability Bias

Giving answers that make you look better or more socially acceptable.

Self-Report Bias

Inaccuracy caused by people reporting their own thoughts or behaviors.

Sampling Bias

When a sample does not accurately represent the population.

Random Sample

A sample where every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen.

Population

The entire group that a researcher wants to study.

Correlation

A relationship between variables.

Correlation Coefficient

A number from $-1$ to $+1$ showing the strength and direction of a correlation.

Variable

Anything that can change or be measured in a study.

Scatterplot

A graph showing the relationship between two variables.

Regression Toward the Mean

Extreme results tend to move closer to average when measured again.

Experiment

A study that tests cause and effect by manipulating a variable.

Experimental Group

The group that receives the treatment or independent variable.

Control Group

The group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Random Assignment

Randomly placing participants into different groups.

Single-Blind Procedure

Participants do not know which group they are in.

Double-Blind Procedure

Neither participants nor researchers interacting with them know who is in each group.

Placebo Effect

Improvement caused by believing you received a real treatment.

Independent Variable

The variable that the researcher changes or controls.

Confounding Variable

An unwanted factor that could affect the results.

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher's expectations influence the study or results.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured as the outcome.

Validity

How accurately a study measures what it is supposed to measure.

Quantitative Research

Research based on numbers and measurable data.

Qualitative Research

Research based on descriptions, opinions, or non-numerical information.

Informed Consent

Participants agree to participate after being told important information about the study.

Debriefing

Explaining the study and its purpose to participants afterward.

Descriptive Statistics

Numbers used to summarize and describe data.

Histogram

A graph that shows the distribution of numerical data using bars.

Mode

The number or value that occurs most often.

Mean

The average; add all values and divide by the number of values.

Median

The middle value when numbers are put in order.

Percentile Rank

The percentage of scores that are below a particular score.

Skewed Distribution

A distribution where scores are unevenly spread toward

Standard Deviation

A measure of how spread out scores are from the mean.