AP psych (experiments/research)

What is independent variable

thing you change on purpose to conduct change

What is dependent variable

the thing you want to measure or oberserve because of the IV

Operational definiton

turning an idea into something you can actually measure or observe

Institutional review board (IRB)

A committee that reviews and approves research proposals to ensure they meet ethical standards.

Informed consent

participants must be fully informed about the research and its potential risks + benefits before agreeing to participate 

Informed assent

for minors or individuals with diminished capacity, assent (agreement) is obtained in addition to consent from a legal guardian

protection from harm

participants have the right to withdraw (get out)

Confidentiality

participant information kept private + secure

Deception

when researchers shouldn’t mislead participants or don’t tell them the full purpose of the study until after its done

Research confederates

A research confederate is someone who pretends to be a participant but is actually working with the researcher to influence the real participant(s) behavior

Debriefing

After study, participants must be fully informed about the research, including any deception used, and given the opportunity to ask questions.

hypothesis

a testable prediction about how one variable affects another.

Confounding

confounding variable is something other than the independent variable that might affect the results of a study (dependent variable)

Coercion

force used to require a person to participate in a study