PSYC100 slides 8

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to research designs in psychology, including descriptive, correlational, and experimental methods, and related concepts.

Descriptive methods

Research methods that describe what is occurring.

Correlational methods

Research methods that test the relationship between factors.

Experimental methods

Research methods that investigate what causes an outcome.

Observational studies

A type of descriptive research method.

Self-reports

A type of descriptive research method where individuals provide information about themselves.

Case studies

A type of descriptive research method involving an in-depth investigation of a single subject.

Correlation coefficient

A numerical value between -1.0 and +1.0 that indicates the strength and direction of an linear relationship between two variables.

Perfect positive correlation

A correlation coefficient of +1.0, indicating a strong positive linear relationship.

Perfect negative correlation

A correlation coefficient of -1.0, indicating a strong negative linear relationship.

No correlation

A correlation coefficient of 0, indicating no linear relationship between variables.

Directionality Problem

A problem in correlational studies where it is unclear which variable causes changes in the other, preventing a determination of causation.

Third Variable Problem

/A problem in correlational studies where an unmeasured variable is the actual cause of the relationship between the two measured variables.

Randomly Assign

The process of assigning participants by chance to different conditions or groups within a study.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that the experimenter manipulates in an experiment.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured in an experiment to see if it is affected by the independent variable.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the condition of the independent variable being tested.

Control or Comparison Group

The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the condition of the independent variable, serving as a baseline for comparison.

Population of interest

The larger group of individuals from which a sample is drawn for a study.

Sample

A subset of a population selected for study, usually randomly assigned to groups.

Confounds

Uncontrolled factors in an experiment that can affect the outcome and potentially threaten validity.