Studied by 3 people
hindsight bias
the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one could have foreseen it
critical thinking
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and asses conclusions
theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principals that organizes observations and predicts behaviors/events
hypothesis
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
operational definition
a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as “what an intelligence test measures.”
replication
repeating the essence of a research study, usually w different participants in different situations to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances
case study
an observation technique in which one person is studied in dept to reveal universal principals
naturalistic observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate/control the situation
survey
a technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative random sample of the group
population
all cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn
random sample
a sample that fairly represents a population bc each member has an equal chance of inclusion
correlation
a measure of the extent to which 2 factors vary together, and thus of how well either predicts the other
correlation coefficient
a statistical index of the relationship between two things
scatter plot
a graphed cluster of dots, each one of which reps the values of 2 variables, the slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. the amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter=high correlation)
CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL
CAUSATION!!!!!!
experiment
a research method in which an investigator manipulates 1+ factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (dependent var). by random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors
experimental group
in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable
control group
in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
random assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance- minimizes preexisting differences between those assigned to diff groups
double blind procedure
an experiment where both the research participants and staff dont know whether the research participants have received the treatment or the placebo
placebo effect
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the inert substance/condition, which the recipient believes is an active agent
independent variable
the experimental factor that is manipulated; the var whose effect is being studied
confounding variable
a factor other than the independent var that might produce an effect
dependent variable
the outcome factor; the var that may change in response to manipulations of the independent var
research method: descriptive
observes and records behavior; but no control over variables
research method: correlational
to detect naturally occurring relationships; to asses how well one var predicts another (doesnt specify cause and effect)
research method: experimental
to explore cause and effect (sometimes not feasible; results may not generalize in other contexts; not ethical to manipulate some vars)
mode
the most frequently occurring scores in a distribution
mean
the arithmetic average of a distribution
median
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores above it and half below
range
the different between the highest and the lowest scores in a distribution
standard deviation
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
normal curve
a symmetrical, bell shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data
statistical significance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions transferred by a group of people and transmitted generation to generation
informed consent
an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether or not they want to participate
debriefing
the post experimental explanation of a study, of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions to whoever participated
Note 
Flashcard (76)