PSYA02 chap 2

Science

A method for learning about reality through systematic experimentation or observation

Objectivity

A conclusion based on facts with no personal opinions or biases

Subjectivity

A conclusion due to personal bias

Systematic observation

Relies on a structured and purposeful way of collecting data

Hit or miss Observation

Only taking data from whatever is happening around us

Conformation bias

Remembering instances where your point of view was supported then ones that contradicted it

Prediction

A guess about a future event

Hypothesis

a type of inference based on prior evidence and logical possibilities

Indigenous science

The knowledge systems developed by Indigenous Peoples through generations of observation, experience, and relationship with the natural world

Construct

An internal attribute that cannot be described

operationalization

Defining constructs in a way that they can be measured

Descriptive methods

Methods that document the characteristics and behaviors of the group one is studying

Case study

An in-depth analysis of the behaviour of one person or a small number of people

Naturalistic observation

Understanding a phenomena in its natural setting

Surveys

A questionnaire that gets data on large groups of people

Focus group

A small group of people that engage in a structured discussion of a topic

Interviews

Participants are asked a predetermined set of questions and can respond in whatever way they choose

Correlation

The measure the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables

Variables

A factor that has a range of values

Measure

Describes a variables quantity

Positive correlation

As one variable increases so does the other

Negative correlation

As one variable increases the other decreases

Experiment

A method that tests a hypothesis and allows researchers to make conclusions about casuality

Control group

A group that is not exposed to the independent variable

Experimental group

A group that is exposed to the independent variable

Random assignment

Each participant has an equal chance

Confounding variables

Variables that the researcher did not control but can have affects on the experiment

Demand characteristics

Participant changing behavior based on what the experimenter wants

Double blind procedure

Both researchers and participants have no idea who received the condition and who received the control

Meta analysis

A statistical analysis of many previous experiments on a single topic

Publication bias

All work done on a topic is not available

Cross sectional study

Data is collected from people of all ages

Cohort effects

Groups of people with a common experience causing a change in a study

Longitudinal study

A study done over a long period of time

Mixed longitudinal design

Participants over a range of ages are assessed for a limited time

Reliability

The consistency of the measure or getting the same result if you repeat the measurement under similar conditions

Test retest

The chance of getting the same result after testing it multiple times in a row

Interrater

If two or more observers produce a consistent result when assessing the same thing

Inter-method

The result is consistent even when another method is used

Validity

A measure leads to correct conclusions or evaluates the concept that it is designed to do

Construct validity

How well a measure evaluates the concept it was designed to measure

Internal validity

Measures how appropriate it is to make a causal claim

External validity

The extent to which this experiment can be applied to other settings

Descriptive statistics

Methods that summarize, organize, and describe the main features of a dataset

Mean

The average value

Median

The middle value

Mode

The value the occurs the most

Variance

How clustered together scores

Standard deviation

The measure of variance

Inferential statistics

When data is taken from a small sample and used to make inferences about a larger population

Null hypothesis

A statement that assumes there is no relationship between the variables being observed