Research Methodology Concepts

Flashcards covering key concepts in research methodology, including types of bias, study designs, and definitions.

Sample Bias

Research participants are not representative of the larger population.

Random Sample

Research method where each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected.

Representative Sample

A sample with characteristics similar to those in the population being studied.

Random Assignment

Participants are assigned to experimental and control groups by chance to minimize pre-existing differences.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for information that supports preconceptions while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher's expectations or preferences influence the outcome of a study.

Hindsight Bias

The phenomenon where individuals claim they knew the result of an event all along after it has occurred.

Single Blind Study

A study where subjects don't know whether they are in the experimental or control group.

Double Blind Study

A study in which neither the researcher nor the participant knows which group received the experimental treatment.

Reliability

The consistency of results when testing the same subject repeatedly.

Validity

Whether the assessment measures what it claims to measure.

Confounding Variables

Differences between experimental and control groups that are not the independent variable and can influence outcomes.

Placebo Effect

The phenomenon where participants' expectations influence their behavior in response to fake treatments.

Hawthorne Effect

A type of reactivity where individuals change their behavior due to awareness of being observed.