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Simplified Vocabulary of Unit 0: Scientific Practices (53 Terms)
Case Study
Thorough examination of a sample/individual over a time period using information-gathering techniques
Confounding Variable
Variable apart from independent that contributes to change in dependent variable; can skew results
Control Group
Group in experiment w/o independent var. or change; used for comparison
Correlation
Statistical relationship between two variables; may not imply causation
Correlation Coefficient
Number between -1 & 1 that indicated amount of correlation (strength & direction) between 2 variables
Critical Thinking
Analytical evaluation of an issue/idea to form a judgement by examining evidence and questioning assumptions
Debriefing
Providing participants w/ information about experiment/study after participation, esp. If deception was used
Dependent Variable
Measured var. in an experiment expected to change due to independent var.
Descriptive Statistics
Statistical analysis of data to summarize data sets by using central tendency, variability, etc.
Double-blind Study
Experiment in which the observers and participants don’t know who is in experimental or control group, reduces bias
Effect Size
Measure of the magnitude of the relationship between variables or effect of treatment (regardless of sample size)
Experiment
Research method that manipulates variable(s) to understand behaviors and mental processes
Experimental Group
Group within a study that receives treatment/independent variable and is observed to determine effect & effect size of independent variable
Experimenter’s Bias
When researcher expectations of a result influence an experiment and cause unintentional bias in results
Falsifiability
Idea that a hypothesis must have possible evidence to be refuted to be deemed scientific
Hindsight Bias
Belief that an individual predicted an outcome after learning results of said outcome
Histogram
Graph utilizing intervals/bars with different heights to show amount in each interval to show distribution between intervals
Hypothesis
Educated guess about variable correlation that is tested/experimented
Illusory correlation
The belief that a relationship exists between two variables when in reality they are separate
Independent Variable
Variable manipulated in an experiment to cause an effect on the dependent variable
Inferential Statistics
Statistics that infer/predict information about a population from a sample
Informed Consent
Ethical property of an experiment, ensuring participants understand the risks/aspects of an experiment before consent is given
Mean
Average of a data set
Median
Middle value within a dataset when arranged in ascending/descending order
Meta-analysis
Combining data from multiple experiments over same topic to understand general trends/outcomes
Mode
Most occurring number value in a dataset
Naturalistic Observations
Research method of observing participants in a natural setting/conditions to understand how trends/outcomes occur without variable manipulation
Normal Curve
Symmetrical Bell curve to understand data distribution; mean, median, & mode all in center of curve
Operational Definitions
The specific/exact specifications research/experiments must be conducted by and how variables must be measured
Peer Reviewers
Analysis of work by those in the same field as an individual to ensure maximum efficiency and validity.
Percentile Rank
Percentage of scores equal to or less than a specific score
Placebo
Inert substance given to control group to evaluate psychological effects of receiving a “treatment”
Placebo effect
Trend of participants changing behavior under the belief that they received an active treatment
Population
Group that research is directed to understand by using a sample from the population
Qualitative Research
Research to discover non-numerical data; observations to understand quality
Quantitative Research
Research to gain numerical/concrete measurements to understand relationships
Random Assignment
Fairly assigning participants to either the experimental or control group; every individual has equal chance of being in either group
Random Sample
Sample size in which participants had equal chance of being selected relative to the rest of the population
Range
Difference of highest/lowest values in a data set to recognize spread of data
Regression towards mean
The trend of outcomes within an experiment to drift towards the mean as the experiment is replicated
Replicate
Repeating a study/experiment to test if outcomes are reocurring
Sampling Bias
Bias affecting outcomes when the sample is not accurately representative of the population the research refers to
Scatterplot
Graphical representation of correlation with each data point representing an individuals score of both variables
Self-report Bias
Distortion in responses given by participants due to social desirability, memory recall, or misunderstanding of questions
Single-blind study
Experiment in which either researchers or participants are made unaware of group assignment
Note
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