Psychological Research Lecture Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the fundamental aspects of psychological research as discussed in Module 2, including the scientific method, research ethics, descriptive and experimental designs, and statistical concepts.

Scientific Method

A process that ensures results are empirical, or grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and again, regardless of who is observing.

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.

Predictability

A component of the scientific method implying that a theory should enable predictions about future events.

Verifiability

A component of the scientific method requiring that an experiment must be replicable by another researcher.

Fairness

A component of the scientific method implying that all data must be considered when evaluating a hypothesis.

Falsifiable

The characteristic of a theory or hypothesis that it should be possible to disprove it via experimental results.

Informed Consent

A process where a research participant must understand experiment expectations, risks, and implications, and then provide written consent to participate.

Deception

Purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment.

Debriefing

The process of telling participants the truth after an experiment has concluded, especially if deception was used.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee that reviews research proposals involving human participants to ensure ethical standards are met.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

A group of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews animal research proposals and inspects research facilities.

Clinical or Case Study

An observational research study focusing on one or a few people.

Naturalistic Observation

The observation of behavior in its natural setting.

Survey

A list of questions to be answered by research participants, allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people.

Sample

A representative group used in a survey to learn more about a larger population.

Archival Research

A method using past records or data sets to answer research questions or search for patterns and relationships.

Cross-sectional Research

Research that compares multiple segments of a population at a single time.

Longitudinal Research

Studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time.

Generalize

To infer that the results for a specific sample apply to the larger population.

Observer Bias

A situation where observations may be skewed to align with the expectations of the observer.

Inter-rater Reliability

A measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event.

Correlation

A relationship between two or more variables, though it does not prove cause and effect.

Correlation Coefficient

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

Confounding Variable

An outside factor that could be causing systematic movement in the variables of interest in a correlational study.

Experimental Group

The group in a basic experimental design that receives the treatment or variable being tested.

Control Group

The group in a basic experimental design that does not receive the treatment, serving as a baseline.

Random Assignment

A method of assigning participants to groups that prevents differences between the groups other than the independent variable.

Operational Definition

A clear description of how variables will be measured so that results are understandable and the experiment can be replicated.

Double-Blind Study

A study where both the researchers and the participants do not know which group received the treatment to prevent bias.

Placebo Effect

The influence of people’s expectations or beliefs on their experience in a given situation.

Independent Variable

The variable in an experiment that is manipulated or controlled by the researcher.

Dependent Variable

The variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had.

Statistical Significance

A result that is unlikely to arise by chance alone.

P-value

A probability value that tells how often a random process would give a result at least as extreme as what was found, assuming only chance was at play; usually significant if $p < .05$.

Reliability

The consistency and reproducibility of a given research result.

Validity

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

Replication Crisis

A situation in psychological science where studies fail to produce the same results when repeated due to factors like chance, publication bias, or falsified results.