Psych research methods

:D

Evidence-based treatment

a psychotherapy technique whose effectiveness has been supported by empirical research

Empiricism

the use of verifiable evidence as the basis for conclusions; collecting data systematically and using it to develop, support, or challenge a theory; also called empirical method/research

Quantitative Method

a way of collecting empirical data in which information is converted to numbers for future analysis

Qualitative method

a way of collecting empirical data that creates rich, in-depth descriptions of some phenomenon or group of people, often collected via interviews or extended observations

Reflexivity

a process in which researchers reflect on how their own values, biases, and experiences might shape the topics they study and the interpretations they make

Theory

a statement or set of statements that describes general principles about how variables relate to one another

Hypothesis

a statement of the specific result the researcher expects to observe form a particular study, if the theory is accurate; also called prediction

Data

a set of observations representing the values of some variable, collected from one or more research studies

Preregistered

refers to a study in which, before collecting any data, the researcher has stated publicly what the study’s outcome is expected to be

Replication

the process of conducting a study again to test whether the result is consistent

Weight of the evidence

a conclusion drawn from reviewing scientific literature and considering the proportion of studies that is consistent with a theory

Falsifiability

a feature of the scientific theory in which it is possible to collect data that will indicate that the theory is wrong

Self-correcting

a process in which scientists make their research available for peer review, replication, and critique, with the goal or identifying and correcting errors in the research

Universalism

the first of Merton’s four scientific norms; scientific claims are evaluated according to their merit, independent of the researcher’s credentials or reputation - applies to all scientists and all research

Communality

the second of Merton’s four scientific norms; scientific knowledge is created by a community, and its findings belong to the community

Disinterestedness

the third of Merton’s four scientific norms; scientists strive to discover the truth whatever it is; they are not swayed by conviction, idealism, politics, or profit

Organized Skepticism

the fourth of Merton’s four scientific norms; states that scientists question everything, including their own theories, widely accepted ideas, and “ancient wisdom”

Applied Research

goal to find a solution to a particular real-world problem

Basic research

goal to enhance the general body of knowledge without regard for direct application to practical problems

Journal

contains peer-reviewed articles on a specific academic discipline or subdiscipline, written for a scholarly audience

Journalism

news and commentary published or broadcast in the popular media and produced for a general audience

comparison group

a group in an experiment whose levels on the independent variable differ from those of the treatment group in some intended and meaningful way

confounds

potential alternative explanations for a research finding; threat to internal validity

confederate

an actor playing a specific role for an experiment

probabilistic

describing the empirical method, stating that science is intended to explain a certain proportion (but not necessarily all) of the possible cases