Psychology Research Methods and Perspectives Flashcards

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms from the psychology lecture notes, including theoretical perspectives, research methodologies, statistical concepts, and ethical guidelines.

Behavioral Perspective

A perspective where behaviorists explain human thought and behavior in terms of conditioning (learning) and look strictly at observable behaviors and what reaction organisms get in response to specific behaviors.

Biological Perspective

Also called "biopsychology" or "neuroscience," this perspective explains human thought and behavior strictly in terms of biological processes, including genes, hormones, and neurotransmitters in the brain.

Case Study

A research method used to get a full, detailed picture of one participant or a small group of participants; however, findings cannot be generalized to a larger population.

Cognitive Perspective

A perspective where psychologists examine human thought and behavior in terms of how we interpret, process, and remember environmental events.

Confounding Variables

Any difference between the experimental and control conditions, except for the independent variable, that might affect the dependent variable.

Convenience Sample

A sample where researchers recruit participants based on accessibility rather than at random, which may introduce selection bias.

Correlation

A statistical measure of a relationship between two variables; it does not imply causation.

Correlation Coefficient

A number expressing the strength of a correlation ranging from $-1$ to $+1$, where $-1$ is a perfect, negative correlation and $+1$ is a perfect, positive correlation.

Directionality Problem

A problem in correlational studies where Variable $2$ might change when Variable $1$ changes, but it is unknown which variable causes the change in the other.

Third Variable Problem

The possibility that a third variable causes the relationship between two other variables in a correlational study.

Double-Blind Procedure

A method where neither the participants nor the researchers are aware of who is in the experimental or control group, controlling for both experimenter and participant bias.

Effect Size

A statistic that shows how much "change" happens, often as a comparison between an experimental group and a control group, usually expressed in terms of standard deviations.

Evolutionary Perspective

Also called sociobiology, this perspective examines human thoughts and actions in terms of natural selection and advantageous traits passed down for survival.

Experiment

The only research method that can show a causal relationship by manipulating the independent variable and controlling for confounding variables.

Experimenter Bias

The unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency of people, upon hearing about research findings, to think that they knew the outcome all along.

Informed Consent

A key APA ethical guideline requiring that participants be given enough information about the research nature to decide whether or not to participate.

Meta-Analysis

A research technique used to create an overall summary by combining the outcomes and effect sizes of multiple relevant studies on a specific topic.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method involving observing participants in their natural habitats without interacting with them to get a realistic picture of behavior.

Operational Definitions

An explanation of how variables are measured, which is essential for the replication of a study.

Participant Bias

The tendency for subjects to behave in certain ways based on their perception of an experiment.

Population

The group from which a sample is selected, including anyone or anything that could possibly be selected for the sample.

Random Assignment

The process by which participants are put into groups so that each has an equal chance of being placed into any group, limiting the effects of confounding variables.

Random Selection (Sampling)

A method of selecting a sample where every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected, increasing the likelihood the sample is representative.

Replication

Repeating a psychological study in order to confirm the results of a previous study; it is an essential step in the scientific method.

Representation (Representative Sampling)

A process ensuring the sample represents the population on specific criteria, such as age or race, in the same proportions as the overall population.

Sample Bias

Also called selection bias, this occurs if a group of participants does not represent the population well, limiting the ability to generalize results.

Sampling

The process by which individuals (participants or subjects) are selected for research from a identified population.

Social-cultural (Sociocultural) Perspective

A perspective looking at how thoughts and behaviors vary between cultures, emphasizing influences like collectivism and individualism.

Standard Deviation (SD)

A statistical measure of variability indicating how far, on average, each score in a set of data deviates from the mean.

Statistical Significance

A result is considered significant if the chance it occurred by chance is $5$ percent ($0.05$) or less.

Survey Method

A research method involving asking people to fill out surveys to gather opinions or attitudes, often used for correlational research.