Psych - Unit 0

what does a theory have to be?

(TEACUP) testable, empiraclly validated, applicable, clearly defined variables, unbiased, predicts behavior

hypothesis

what shows the relationship among variables in a study

EX: "Among SLHS students, the students who get 7-9 hours of sleep a night have a higher vertical leap than students who get 2-4 hours of sleep"

falsifiability

what would confirming/disconfirming evidence for the study look like?

operational definition

clear explanation on how to measure the hypothesis, which allows for replication

replication

when a study is repeated to 1.) confirm or disconfirm the theory with evidence 2.) clarify when the theory applies and when it doesn't 3.) refine the size of the effect of the theory

cultural norms

shaped societal rules, values, or expectations that guide behavior within a culture

cognitive biases

a systematic error in thinking that impacts one's choices and judgements

confirmation bias

a tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing thoughts

Hindsight Bias

tendency to predict past events as more predictable than they were

overconfidence

where we believe we are better at stuff than we actually are

experiment

investigation in which a hypothesis is tested

sampling

selecting a sample to study from the population of interest

random sampling

a type of sampling that ensures that every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected

convenience sampling

a type of sampling that is used based on ease of access

participants

a person who voluntarily is a part of a study and gives data to the researcher

sampling bias

When some members of a population are systematically more likely to be selected in a sample than others

generalizability / external validity

the broader implications of a study; how applicable is it to other situations, people, and settings

independent variable

What is being tested/manipulated by the researchers of an experiment

dependent variable

The variable being tested / measured in an experiment

confounding variable

an extraneous factor that intervenes between the independent and dependent variable

experimental group / treatment condition

the group that receives the treatment

control group / placebo group

The group of an experiment that receives a placebo

placebo

a harmless substance that is ineffective used ON THE CONTROL GROUP to help test another substance

placebo effect

when a fake treatment (placebo) has unexpected results

random assignment/allocation

when participants are chosen for either an experimental/control group at random

single-blind procedure

when the participants of a study don't know whether they are in the experimental group or the control group, but the researchers do

double-blind procedure

This is when neither the researchers NOR the participants know which group the subjects are in. Rather, a third party (probably another researcher) knows.

experimenter bias

Where a researcher's expectations or beliefs for the outcome of the study directly influence the actual outcomes of the study

participant bias

When a participant of a study may unintentionally influence their results based on what they think the researchers want to hear/know

quantitative research (such as Likert Scales)

A type of experiment that is the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data

qualitative research (such as conducted interviews)

A type of experiment that is the process of collecting non-numerical data

measurement instrument

a device to measure a certain quantity of what the experimenter is studying

case study

An in-depth study of one person, group, or event. Nearly every aspect of the patient's life is under analysis to help conclude what could be wrong with the said patient.

correlation

The extent to which two variables are correlated

scatterplot

visual analysis that represents the relationship between two variables

correlation coefficient

Measurement of the extent that two variables are correlated

third variable problem

The theory that two variables that may be correlated may be caused by a different third variable

directionality problem

The problem that you don't know which variable is affecting which in an experiment

correlation hints at, but does not show, causation

Shows that while correlation does not equal causation, it can be a pretty good hint

survey

a research method where participants report thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

wording effects

the way questions are asked influences the way people answer (positive vs. negative framing)

self-report bias

type of measurement error where participants inaccurately respond to questions/prompts

social-desirability bias

the tendency for participants to respond in ways that make them look more favorable to others (subset of self-report bias)

meta-analysis

statistical methodology for combining the results of multiple studies to see the overall effect

naturalistic observation

research methodology where subjects are assesed in their enviornment

peer review

process by which professionals evaluate research before it is published