Psych Research Design Flashcards

Flashcards for Psychology Research Design, covering key terms and concepts from empiricism to research methodologies.

Empiricism

The practice of relying on observation and experimentation to acquire knowledge.

Historical Context

How psychology evolved over time, including key figures like Wilhelm Wundt and shifts from behaviorism to cognitive psychology.

Social-Cultural Context

Influences from society and culture that affect what research is done and how it is interpreted.

Moral Context

Ethical standards and the moral obligation to conduct research honestly and responsibly.

Skepticism in Science

A critical attitude where researchers question claims and seek repeated evidence.

Mozart Effect

A discredited idea that listening to Mozart temporarily increases intelligence.

Learning Styles Myth

The discredited belief that teaching according to a person’s preferred learning style enhances learning.

Steps of the Scientific Method

Observation, literature review, hypothesis, study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, report, presentation.

Nomothetic Research

Focuses on identifying general laws that apply to many people.

Idiographic Research

Focuses on understanding the unique aspects of individuals.

Basic Research

Aims to expand fundamental knowledge without direct application.

Applied Research

Seeks to solve real-world problems using scientific methods.

Description (Goal of Science)

Defining and categorizing behaviors or events.

Prediction (Goal of Science)

Forecasting future behaviors or outcomes based on relationships.

Explanation (Goal of Science)

Identifying causes and mechanisms behind behaviors or outcomes.

Application (Goal of Science)

Using research findings to improve lives or practices.

Testable Hypothesis

A statement that can be empirically tested and potentially falsified.

Circular Hypothesis

A hypothesis that uses its own result as the explanation, making it untestable.

Scientific Theory

A well-substantiated explanation that organizes knowledge and predicts new findings.

Rule of Parsimony

The simplest explanation that fits the data is preferred.

Operational Definition

Definition of a concept in terms of the procedures used to measure or create it.

Construct

A concept or characteristic being measured that is not directly observable (e.g., intelligence, motivation).

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure; a reliable measure produces similar results under consistent conditions.

Face Validity

Does the measure appear to measure what it’s supposed to at face value?

Content Validity

Does the measure cover the full range of the concept’s meaning?

Convergent Validity

Is the measure related to other measures of the same construct?

Divergent Validity

Is the measure unrelated to different, theoretically unrelated constructs?

Internal Reliability

Consistency within a measure itself (e.g., how well different items on a test measure the same concept).

External Reliability

Consistency of the measure across different occasions or raters.

IRB (Institutional Review Board)

A committee that reviews research proposals to ensure ethical treatment of participants.

Informed Consent

Participants’ agreement to take part in research after being informed of potential risks and benefits.

HARKing

Hypothesizing After Results are Known — presenting results as if they were predicted ahead of time.

P-Hacking

Manipulating data or analyses to find statistically significant results.

Risk/Benefit Ratio

Ethical evaluation weighing the potential benefits of research against the risks to participants.

Minimal Risk

The probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort is not greater than what is encountered in daily life.

Assent

A minor or cognitively impaired person's affirmative agreement to participate in research.

Debriefing

Informing participants after the study about its true purpose and any deceptions used.

Deception in Research

Withholding or misinforming participants, requiring justification and follow-up.

File Drawer Problem

The bias that occurs when studies with null results are less likely to be published.

Open Access

Research articles that are freely available to the public without subscription fees.

Pre-registration

Publicly posting study methods and hypotheses before collecting data to increase transparency.

Reactivity

When participants change their behavior because they know they're being observed.

Observer Bias

When an observer’s expectations influence how they interpret and record behavior.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing subjects in their natural environment without interference.

Structured Observation

Setting up a scenario to prompt specific behaviors for observation.

Participant Observation

Observer is actively involved in the environment or situation being studied.

Field Experiment

Manipulating variables in a natural setting to observe their effects.

Event Sampling

Recording all instances of a specific behavior during a study.

Narrative Records

Detailed written or recorded descriptions of behavior as it occurs.

Field Notes

Brief, written observations about key behaviors or events during observation.

Qualitative Analysis

Analyzing non-numeric data like themes or patterns in narrative records.

Quantitative Analysis

Analyzing numeric data using statistical methods like mean or standard deviation.

Relative Frequency

The number of times a behavior occurs divided by the total number of observations.

Central Tendency

A statistical measure (mean, median, mode) that identifies a central point in a dataset.

Standard Deviation

A measure of variability showing how much scores deviate from the mean.

Correlation Coefficient

A number between -1 and +1 indicating the strength and direction of a relationship.

Spearman Correlation

Used for ordinal data to assess rank-order relationships.

Pearson Correlation

Used for interval/ratio data to assess linear relationships.

Habituation

When participants stop reacting to an observer over time due to repeated exposure.

Desensitization

Gradual exposure to an observer until the participant no longer reacts.