AP Psychology Unit 0

Critical Thinking

Smart thinking that examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

Hindsight bias

The tendency to believe after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen

Peer reviewers

Scientific experts who evaluate a research article’s theory, originality, and accuracy

Theory

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors and events

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Falsifiable (falsifiability)

The possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproven by observation or experiment

Operational definition

A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study.

Replication (replicate)

Repeating the essence of a research study usually with different participants in different situations to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced

Case Study

A case study examines one individual or group in depth in hope of revealing things true of us all

Naturalistic observation

Observe and record behavior with no control over the variables

Survey

A non-experimental technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.

Social desirability bias

The tendency for people to answer questions in a way that will be viewed favorably by others, rather than truthfully

Self report bias

The tendency for individuals to provide inaccurate or incomplete information when responding to questions about themselves

Sampling bias

A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

Population

All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

Random sample

A group of participants selected from a larger population where each member has an equal chance of being included in the study