AP Psychology - Unit 0 Vocab (copy)

Simplified Vocabulary of Unit 0: Scientific Practices (53 Terms)

Confounding Variable

Confounding Variable

Variable apart from independent that contributes to change in dependent variable; can skew results

Control Group

Group in experiment w/o independent var. or change; used for comparison​

Correlation

Statistical relationship between two variables; may not imply causation​

Correlation Coefficient

Number between -1 & 1 that indicated amount of correlation (strength & direction) between 2 variables

Dependent Variable

Measured var. in an experiment expected to change due to independent var.

Double-blind Procedure

Experiment in which the observers and participants don’t know who is in experimental or control group, reduces bias

Experiment

Research method that manipulates variable(s) to understand behaviors and mental processes

Experimental Group

Group within a study that receives treatment/independent variable and is observed to determine effect & effect size of independent variable

Experimenter’s Bias

When researcher expectations of a result influence an experiment and cause unintentional bias in results

Illusory correlation

The belief that a relationship exists between two variables when in reality they are separate

Independent Variable

Variable manipulated in an experiment to cause an effect on the dependent variable

Placebo

Inert substance given to control group to evaluate psychological effects of receiving a “treatment”

Placebo effect

Trend of participants changing behavior under the belief that they received an active treatment

Random Assignment

Fairly assigning participants to either the experimental or control group; every individual has equal chance of being in either group

Regression towards mean

The trend of outcomes within an experiment to drift towards the mean as the experiment is replicated

Scatterplot

Graphical representation of correlation with each data point representing an individuals score of both variables

Single-blind Procedure

Experiment in which either researchers or participants are made unaware of group assignment

Variable

anything that can vary and is feasible and ethnical to measure

Validity

The extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to.