Unit 0 - Research: AP Psychology

critical thinking

examines assumptions, appraises source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

hindsight bias

tendency to believe after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen it

peer reviewers

scientific experts who evaluate a research article's theory, originality, and accuracy

theory

explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

hypothesis

a testable prediction

falsifiable

possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproven by observation or experiment

operational definition

carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations

case study

non-experimental technique in which an individual/group is studied in depth in the hopes of revealing universal principles

naturalistic observation

non experimental technique of observing and recording behavior and naturally occurring situations without manipulation

survey

obtain self-reported attitudes by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

social desirability bias

bias from people responding in ways they presume a researcher expects or wishes

sampling bias

flawed sampling process

random sample

sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

population

all those in a group being studied from which random samples may be drawn

correlation

measure of extent to which two factors vary together and how well either factor predicts the other

correlation coefficient

statistical index of the relationship between two variables

variable

anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure

scatter plot

graphed cluster of dots

illusory correlation

perceiving a relationship where none exists

regression towards the mean

tendency for outliers to regress towards the average

experiment

research method where investigators manipulate one or more factors to observe the effect on another factor

experimental group

group exposed to the treatment

control group

group not exposed to the treatment

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance

single blind procedure

research participants are blind, do not know whether they receive treatment or placebo

double blind procedure

research participants and staff are blind to who receive treatment or placebo

placebo effect

experimental results caused by expectations alone

independent variable

factor being manipulated whose effect is being studied

confounding variable

factor other than factor being studied that may influence a study's results

experimenter bias

bias cause when researchers may unintentionally influence results to confirm their own beliefs

dependent variable

outcome that is measured

validity

extent to which a test or experiment measures what it's supposed to do

quantitative research

uses numerical data

qualitative research

uses in depth, narrative data that isn't numerical

informed consent

informs potential participants about a study, allowing them to choose whether they wish to participate

debriefing

post experimental explanation of a study

descriptive statistics

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups

histogram

bar graph depicting frequency distribution

mode

most frequently occurring scores in a distribution

median

middle score in a distribution

mean

average

percentile rank

percent of scores that are lower than a given score

skewed distribution

representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average

range

difference between highest and lowest scores

standard deviation

computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean

normal curve

symmetric, bell-shaped curve

inferential statistics

numerical data that allow one to generalize/infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population

analysis

statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach overall conclusion

statistically significant

a statistic statement of how likely it is that a result occurred by chance, assuming there is no difference between populations being studied

effect size

the strength of the relationship between two variables; larger the effect size, the more one variable can be explained by another