Studied by 56 people
AP Psychology
Curiosity: Helps test ideas and come up with new ones
Skepticism: Question everything, but do not be distrustful, and at the same time, open-minded but not gullible
Humility: Be able to accept you’re wrong and use that to learn from you’re mistakes
3 Elements of the Scientific Attitude
A combination of the scientific attitude (curiosity, skepticism, humility). Ask questions and get the facts, not bias.
Critical thinking
The belief that after learning something we would have been able to guess that/ we already knew what we were being told
Hindsight Bias
The tendency to overestimate our knowledge and abilities
Overconfidence
Perception of a relationship between two variables where none exists
Illusory Correlation
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
Theory
A testable prediction which is implied by a theory
Hypothesis
The possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproven by observation or experiment
Falsifiable
The claim that the effect being studied does not exist
Null Hypothesis
People’s tendency to answer questions in a way that fits in with group norms
Social- desirability bias
The tendency to exaggerate self reported answers to make yourself seem more favorable
Self-report bias
The way questions are worded can lead to people answering in ways they think will please the researcher
Wording Effects
The study of behavior and mental processes
Psychology
Your behavior is influenced by your past experiences, for example your childhood
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic
Mental processes used in thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Cognitive
Behavior and thought processes are learned through observation and conditioning
Behavioral
Free will and self-actualization; human nature is inherently positive and people will strive to be their best selves
Humanistic
Behavior, thoughts and feelings come from physiological processes
Biological
Your culture and surroundings affect your behavior and mental processes
Sociological Theory
Human behaviors and thought patterns required for survival/reproduction have adapted from the environment and evolution
Evolutionary Theory
Carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study
Operational Definitions
It’s purpose is to see how humans/animals behave in a natural setting without intervention
Naturalistic Observation
Examine one individual or group in depth in hopes of learning in-depth about complex situations
Case Studies
Generalizing from a few vivid cases is not helpful to research because these cases are not representative of the majority
Sampling Bias
People represented by a study
Population
The subset of the population chosen by the investigator to study
Sample
Gives every member of the population an equal chance of being selected
Random Sample
Scientific experts who evaluate a research article’s theory, originality, and accuracy
Peer Reviewers
The process of repeating a study to see if the same results can be obtained
Replication
A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together. It is used to investigate the relationship between 2+ variables. Correlation DOES NOT equal causation.
Correlation
On a scale from -1.0 to 1.0, with 0 being no correlation. Indicates the strength and direction between two variables. (Weaker closer to zero).
-1: Perfect negative correlation
1: Perfect positive correlation
Correlation Coefficients
A person, place, or thing that is being measured
Variable
Illustrates the range of correlations from a perfect positive to a perfect negative
Scatterplot
When extremely high or low values tend to be followed by values that are closer to the mean, it can be caused by random variation in the data
Regression Towards the Mean
Its purpose is to test cause and effect and explain it
Experiment
The group that receives the treatment
Experimental Group
The group that does not receive the treatment
Control Group
After a sample is obtained, randomly assigning participants to experimental or control groups. This eliminates any bias or pre-existing differences
Random Assignment
Outside factors that affect research
Cofounding Variables
Tells you how meaningful the relationship between variables or the difference between groups is
Effect Size
Occurs when participants are blind, or uninformed about what treatment, if any, they are receiving
Single-Blind Procedure
When neither the research staff or research participants know whether the research participant have received a treatment or a placebo
Double-Blind Procedure
When the expectations of a treatment ends up making the participants feel the effects of the treatment, even if the participant does not receive the treatment
Placebo Effect
(Cause). Variable that is manipulated by the experimenter. Ie: Antidepressent
Independent Variable
(Effect). The factor that may change in response to the independent variable. Ie: Depression
Dependent Variable
How well a test accurately measures what it has been designed to measure
Validity
Relies on quantifiable, numerical data
Quantitative Research
Relies on in-depth narrative data that does not translate into numbers
Qualitative Research
Giving potential participants enough information about a study to let them choose if they want to participate (including dangers)
Informed Consent
Post-experimental explanation of why a study, including its purpose and deceptions, to participants
Debriefing
Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups under study
Descriptive Statistics
Bar graphs; provide a visual representation of the distribution of the data
Histogram
The average of a distribution
Mean
The middle score in a distribution
Median
The most frequently occuring score(s) of a distribution
Mode
Percentage of scores that are less than a given score
Percentile Rank
Assymetrical curve
Skewed Distribution
The difference between the highest and lowest scores in distribution
Range
A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
Standard Deviation
Displays a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve
Normal Curve
Numerical data that allow one to generalize (infer from data the possibility of something being true of a population
Inferential Statistics
A statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion
Meta-Analysis
The statistical description of how likely it was that something occurred by chance. If something is less than 5% likely that it occurred by chance, then it is statistically significant
Statistically Significant
Subset of the population that accurately represented the population being studied
Representative Sample
Population is divided into relevant subcategories, and a random sample is taken from each subcategory
Stratified Sample
Compares different population groups at the same time. Ie: Studying men and women and measuring the relationship between sleep deprivation and stress levels among each group
Cross-sectional design
Measures the relationship between two variable within the same population over a long period of time (typically)
Longitudinal Design
Informed consent
Protection from harm
Debriefing
Human Guidelines to Experimenting
Consistently finding similar results when repeating tests in similar ways
Reliability
68% of scores fall 1 standard deviation from the mean
95% of scores fall 2 standard deviation from the mean
99% of scores fall 3 standard deviation from the mean
Standard Deviation %
When you only look for evidence that supports what you already believe
Confirmation bias
When a researcher uses a sample that is convenient to them, not an actual random one
Convenience Sampling
-1 to 1
What is the range of correlation coefficients?
Controls for biases
Random sampling
Random assignment
etc
What are some things an experiment must have to be considered acceptable?
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
What is the name for the organization that must approve research proposals?
Appropriate: Research must be for a purpose Beneficial: For the greater good Caring: Food/water/shelter/protection from harm
Ethical guidelines to animal experimentation
The APA
American Psychological Association
