Lecture Notes: Ethics, Statistics, and Cognitive Biases (Video)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key ethical guidelines, statistical concepts, and cognitive biases from the lecture.

Informed Consent

Adults agree to participate in a study after being fully informed of risks, benefits, and alternatives.

Informed Assent

Minors agree to participate in a study alongside parental/guardian consent.

Protection from Harm

Researchers must minimize physical or psychological harm and avoid unnecessary risk.

Confidentiality

Obligation to keep participants' personal information and responses private and secure.

Minimal Deception

Deception may be used only if necessary and must not cause harm; participants should be told the truth during debriefing.

Debriefing

After a study ends, researchers explain the true purpose and any deception used to participants.

Mean

The average of a data set.

Median

The middle value when data are ordered.

Mode

The most frequent value in a data set.

Range

Difference between the highest and lowest scores.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how spread out the data are around the mean.

Normal Distribution (Normal Curve)

A bell-shaped distribution with most scores near the mean; relates to percentages and percentiles.

Positive Skew

Tail extends to the right; the distribution has a longer right tail and the mean is typically greater than the median.

Negative Skew

Tail extends to the left; the distribution has a longer left tail and the mean is typically less than the median.

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution with two distinct peaks or modes.

Regression Toward the Mean

Extreme scores or behaviors tend to move closer to the average on repeated measurements.

Statistical Significance

A result is unlikely to be due to chance, commonly accepted when p < .05.

Effect Size

A measure of the strength or magnitude of a relationship or difference, independent of sample size.

Confirmation Bias

Favoring information that confirms preexisting beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

Believing an outcome was predictable after it occurred.

Overconfidence

Overestimating the accuracy of one’s knowledge or judgments.

Cognitive Biases

Systematic errors in thinking, including multiple biases such as confirmation bias, hindsight bias, and overconfidence.