AP Psychology: Research Methods, Design, and Data Interpretation

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering Unit 0: Research Methods, Design, and Data Interpretation in AP Psychology.

Sifting reality from fantasy requires a healthy __________, an attitude that is neither cynical nor gullible.

skepticism

The three basic attitudes that helped make modern science possible are curiosity, skepticism, and __________.

humility

One of psychology's mottos regarding scientific humility is 'The rat is always __________.'

right

Thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions is known as __________ thinking.

critical

The psychological phenomenon where people believe, after an outcome occurs, that they would have foreseen it is called __________ bias.

hindsight

A cognitive bias where people tend to be more confident of their knowledge than they are accurate is known as __________.

overconfidence

Believing that a fourth car will be blue because the previous three cars were blue is an example of perceiving __________ in random events.

order

An explanation of behaviors or events that organizes observations to predict future events is called a __________.

theory

A good theory produces testable predictions known as __________.

hypotheses

Scientific theories MUST be __________, meaning researchers must be able to prove them wrong if they are false.

falsifiable

In order to support a theory, researchers must be able to repeat or __________ its findings.

replicate

A carefully worded statement of the exact way in which a variable is measured is called an __________ definition.

operational

An in-depth analysis of individuals or a group, such as research on the Galvin family to study schizophrenia, is called a __________ study.

case

Case studies are considered our __________ form of evidence because they cannot be applied to whole populations.

weakest

The research method where subjects are observed in their real-life environment without manipulation is called __________ observation.

naturalistic

Naturalistic observations and case studies can describe behavior, but they cannot __________ behavior.

explain

The survey bias where respondents answer questions based on how they think the researcher expects or wishes is called __________ desirability bias.

social

A flawed sampling process that creates an unrepresentative sample is known as __________ bias.

sampling

Collecting research data from a group that is readily available is known as a __________ sample.

convenience

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion is called a __________ sample.

random

A statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion is called a __________.

meta-analysis

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together and how well each factor predicts the other is called a __________.

correlation

A statistical index ranging from -1 to +1 that measures the strength and direction of a relationship is called a correlation __________.

coefficient

Graphs that visually illustrate the strength and direction of a correlation using plotted points are called __________.

scatter plots

When two variables increase or decrease together in the same direction, they display a __________ correlation.

positive

When one variable increases while the other variable decreases, it represents a __________ correlation.

negative

Correlations cannot establish cause and effect because of the __________ problem and the third variable problem.

directionality

A perceived relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger than actual relationship, is called an __________ correlation.

illusory

The tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back toward their average is known as __________ toward the mean.

regression

To establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship, researchers must conduct an __________.

experiment

In an experiment, the variable that is manipulated by the researcher is called the __________ variable.

independent

In an experiment, the variable that is measured to observe the effect of the manipulation is called the __________ variable.

dependent

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the treatment is called the __________ group.

experimental

The group in an experiment that is not given the treatment in order to serve as a comparison is called the __________ group.

control

Assigning participants to experimental or control conditions by chance to minimize preexisting differences is called random __________.

assignment

In a __________-blind procedure, neither the participants nor the research staff know who is receiving the active treatment or the placebo.

double

When researchers unintentionally influence the results of a study to confirm their own expectations, it is called experimenter __________.

bias

Any effect on behavior caused by administering an inert substance that the participant assumes is active is called the __________ effect.

placebo

Factors other than the independent variable that may undesirably influence the results of a study are called __________ variables.

confounding