Research Designs in Psychology

These flashcards cover key concepts related to different research designs in psychology, their definitions, and relevant problems associated with correlational studies.

Descriptive studies

Research design that observes behavior to describe it objectively and systematically.

Correlational studies

Examine how variables are naturally related in the real world, often using scatterplots.

Experimental studies

Research methods that involve manipulation of variables to determine cause and effect.

Case study

An in-depth observation of one person or group over a long period of time.

Naturalistic observation

Researcher unobtrusively observes and records behavior in the natural environment.

Qualitative research

Data collected from open-ended and unstructured answers, focusing on non-numeric responses.

Survey research

Method of collecting information using numeric and quantifiable scales with limited response options.

Directionality problem

Problem in correlational studies determining which variable caused changes in another.

Third variable problem

Issue where an unmeasured variable may be causing changes in the correlation observed.

Illusory correlation

The perception of a correlation between two variables when no actual correlation exists.