AP Psychology: Unit 0

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs, while ignoring or devaluing contradictory evidence.

Cultural Norms

The shared, often unwritten rules, beliefs, and expectations that guide behavior within a group or society.

Experimenter Bias

The researcher’s expectations or beliefs about the outcome of a study that influences the results.

Hindsight Bias

People believe that they knew something was going to happen after it has already occurred, even if they didn’t actually predict it beforehand.

Overconfidence

When people have too much faith in their own judgments or abilities, thinking they know more than what they actually do.

Peer Review

A process where research articles or studies are evaluated by experts in the field before they are published in academic journals to ensure quality, validity, and significance.

Case Study

A research method in psychology that involves an in-depth examination of a single individual, group, or phenomenon.

Confidentiality

It requires researchers to take measures to ensure that participants identities, data, and responses are kept confidential and anonymous and protected from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Confounding Variables

A variable that was not accounted for or controlled in the study but still affects the result (only for experiments).

Control Group

A group of participants who were not exposed to the independent variable which provides a baseline for comparison with the experimental group.

Debriefing

Provides participants with comprehensive info about true nature, purpose, and procedures of a research study immediately after their participation.

Descriptive Research

Refers to numerical measures used to summarize and describe the characteristics of a dataset. These statistics help in organizing and presenting large amounts of data in a meaningful and concise way.

Dependent Variables

The variable that is observed and measured (provides data) for changes in an experiment.

Double-Blind Study

A research design where both the participants AND the researchers conducting the study are unaware of who belongs to the experimental or control group.

Experimental Method

A research method used to investigate cause and effect relationships between variables.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested.

Falsifiability

Capable of being proven wrong; “can be challenged”

Generalizability

The extent to which research findings obtained from a sample can be applied or generalized to a larger population.

Hypothesis

A specific, testable prediction or educated guess about the relationship between variables or the outcome of a research study.

Independent Variables

The variable that the researcher purposely changes or manipulates in an experiment.

Informed Assent

Applies to research involving children or people who may have limited decision-making capacity like cognitive impairments or developmental disabilities.

Informed Consent

The process which individuals voluntarily agree to participate in a research study after being provided with comprehensive info about the study’s purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and their rights as participants.

Institutional Review Board

Committees that are responsible for reviewing and approving research proposals to ensure that they meet ethical standards and protect the rights and welfare of research participants.

Likert Scales

A measurement used in surveys and questionnaires to assess people’s attitudes, opinions, or perceptions.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method where researchers observe and record behavior in real-world settings without intervention or manipulation.

Operational Definitions

Clear, precise descriptions of variables; “define to measure”

Placebo Effect

The phenomenon where individuals experience improvement in their condition solely because they believe they are receiving a beneficial treatment, rather than due to any active ingredient or physiological mechanism in the placebo itself.

Professional Ethics

Qualitative Research/Meaures

Not about numbers, but gives deeper insights into complex topics

Quantitative Research/Measures

Number based info gathered from surveys, tests, and experiments

Random Assignment

A research method used to assign participants to different groups (control vs. experiement) in an experiment.

Replication

Repeating a study to test its findings; “do it again”

Single-Blind Study

A research design where participants are unaware of whether they belong to the experimental or control group, but the researchers conducting the study are aware.

Social Desirability Bias

Refers to the tendency of individuals to respond in a manner that is viewed favorably by others or conforms to social norms, rather than providing honest or accurate answers.

Structured Interviews

A research method that has predetermined questions that are asked to all participants in the same order.

Survey Technique

A research method in psychology used to collect data from a sample of individuals through self-report measures.

Theory

A set of organized ideas and principles used to explain and predict behavior or mental processes.

Validity

Refers to the extent to which a research study or measurement tool accurately measures what it intends to measure.

Bimodal Distribution

A type of data distribution in which there are two distinct peaks or high points on a frequency distribution graph.

Measure of Central Tendency

A number that describes the center of a data set (ex: mean, median, mode)

Correlation

Correlational Research

Correlation Coefficient

Convenience Sampling

Directionality Problem

Effect Size

Mean

Median

Meta-Analysis

Mode

Negative Correlation

Negative Skew

Normal Curve

Percentile Rank

Population

Positive Correlation

Positive Skew

Random Sample

Range

Regression Toward the Mean

Representative Sample

Sample

Sampling Bias

Scatterplot

Skew

Standard Deviation

Statistical Deviation

Statistical Significance

Third Variable Problem

Variation

Evolutionary Perspective

Psychodynamic Perspective

Cognitive Perspective

Biological Perspective

Sociocultural Perspective

Behavioral Perspective

Humanistic Perspective

Humanistic Perspective

Biopsychosocial Perspective

Psychology

The study of behavior and mental processes in both humans and animals

Empirical Evidence

Reliability

The American Psychological Association (APA)

Wording Effect

Sample Bias

Descriptive Statistics

Inferential Statistics

Measure of Central Tendency

Deception

Confederates

Right to Withdraw

Stratified Sample