AP Psychology Research Methods Unit II: Correlation and Experiments

Why is science important in research?

It provides legitimacy and accuracy through evidence-based practice and empiricism.

What biases does science help eliminate?

Hindsight bias, overconfidence, and the need for order.

What is the scientific method?

A systematic approach to research that involves operational definitions and replication.

What is an operational definition?

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a study or the definition of a term.

What are case studies?

In-depth investigations into a group, individual, or psychological phenomena.

What are the advantages of case studies?

They allow for developing new research, intensive study, contradicting established theory, and gaining new insights.

What are the disadvantages of case studies?

They cannot be replicated, may suffer from researcher bias, and are time-intensive.

What is naturalistic observation?

Examining and recording behavior in its natural environment without control or explanation.

What are the strengths of naturalistic observation?

It allows for studying natural behavior, is inexpensive, and easy to collect data.

What are the weaknesses of naturalistic observation?

Detection can alter behavior, lacks control, and cannot gauge cause and effect.

What is a survey in research?

A technique that gathers self-reported data by questioning a group.

What are the strengths of surveys?

They can be standardized, are easy and relatively cheap, and can cover large samples.

What are the weaknesses of surveys?

People may lie, wording effects can bias results, and they may lack validity.

What does correlation show?

The relationship between two or more variables and how dependent they are on each other.

What is a positive correlation?

Both variables move in the same direction.

What is a negative correlation?

Variables move in opposite directions.

What is the correlation coefficient?

A statistical index of the relationship between two variables, ranging from -1.0 to +1.0.

What does a correlation coefficient close to -1 or 1 indicate?

A strong relationship between the variables.

What is an illusory correlation?

The perception of a relationship when none exists.

What is experimentation in research?

Manipulating one or more factors to observe the effect on behavior or mental processes.

What is the difference between independent and dependent variables?

The independent variable is manipulated, while the dependent variable is measured.

What is a control group?

The group that is not manipulated and is used for comparison.

What is a placebo effect?

A phenomenon where a person experiences a perceived improvement due to their expectations.

What are descriptive statistics?

Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of samples and groups.

What is a histogram?

A bar graph depicting a frequency distribution of quantitative data.

What are measures of central tendency?

Statistics that summarize data, including mean, median, and mode.

What does standard deviation indicate?

How much scores vary around the mean score.

What is inferential statistics?

Data that allows for inferring the probability of something being true for a population.

What does statistical significance indicate?

The likelihood that a result will happen by chance.