AP Psych Unit 0 Vocab

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe that after learning an outcome, one would have been able to foresee its occurrence.

Overconfidence

A cognitive bias characterized by an overestimation of one’s actual ability to perform a task successfully.

Peer Review

The evaluation of scientific or academic work by other qualified professionals practicing in the same field.

Cultural Norms

Societal rules, values, or standards that delineate accepted and appropriate behavior within a culture.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to gather evidence that confirms preexisting expectations.

Experimenter Bias

Systematic errors in the research process attributable to the researcher’s behavior or beliefs.

Survey

A technique for ascertaining self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a group.

Theory

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

Validity

The extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to.

Case Study

An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth.

Confounding Variable

A factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment.

Experiment

A research method where one or more factors are manipulated to observe the effect on behavior.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the treatment.

Operational Definition

A statement of the procedures used to define research variables.

Placebo

An inert substance or condition administered in an experiment.

Debriefing

The post-experimental explanation of a study provided to participants.

Independent Variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated.

Dependent Variable

The outcome factor in an experiment that may change in response to manipulations.

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure where both participants and staff are ignorant of the treatment given.

Experimental Group

The group that is exposed to the treatment in an experiment.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction often implied by a theory.

Random Assignment

The assignment of participants to different conditions of an experiment at random.

Replication

Repeating a study to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.

Confidentiality

A principle requiring mental health care providers to limit disclosure of a patient’s information.

Professional Ethics

Rules of acceptable conduct expected to be followed by members of a profession.

Informed Consent

A person’s voluntary agreement to participate in a study based on understanding its nature.

Institutional Review Boards (IRB)

Committees that review research proposals for ethical acceptability.

Informed Assent

A process through which minors agree to participate in clinical trials.

Deception Research

A study in which participants are misled about the purpose of the investigation.

Likert Scale

A direct attitude measure that consists of statements reflecting evaluations of an object.

Single Blind Study

A procedure where participants are unaware of the experimental conditions.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency of participants to give answers in accordance with perceived social norms.

Structured Interviews

Interviews where questions and order are determined in advance.

Placebo Effect

A clinically significant response to an inert substance arising from the recipient’s expectations.

Qualitative Research

Research that produces descriptive data, such as personal accounts of experiences.

Quantitative Research

Research that measures variables using a numerical system and analyzes these measurements.

Falsifiability

The logical possibility that an assertion can be shown to be false by observation.

Generalizability

The extent to which findings from a sample are applicable to a broader population.

Third Variable Problem

The situation where an observed correlation may be due to a third variable.

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical measure of the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables.

Correlation

A measure of how two factors vary together.

Mean

The arithmetic average of a distribution.

Mode

The most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution.

Median

The middle score in a distribution, half the scores are above it.

Normal Curve

A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve describing the distribution of many types of data.

Population

All the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.

Random Sample

A sample that represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots representing values of two variables.

Standard Deviation

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.

Statistical Significance

A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.

Bimodal Distribution

A set of scores with two peaks or modes around which values cluster.

Central Tendency

The middle or center point of a set of scores.

Convenience Sampling

A non-random sampling method based on chance or availability of participants.

Sampling Bias

A systematic error involved in the choice of study participants.

Directionality Problem

The issue in correlational research where the cause and effect relationship is unknown.

Correlational Research

A type of study where relationships between variables are simply observed.

Effect Size

A measure of the magnitude or meaningfulness of a relationship between two variables.

Meta-Analysis

A quantitative technique for synthesizing results of multiple studies.

Negative Correlation

A relationship where one variable increases as the other decreases.

Positive Correlation

A relationship where both variables rise and fall together.

Positive Skew

A distribution with extreme scores toward the high end.

Negative Skew

A distribution with extreme scores toward the low end.

Skew

The degree to which scores are asymmetrically distributed around a central point.

Percentile Rank

The location of a score in a distribution expressed as a percentage.

Regression to the Mean

The tendency for extreme scores to become more moderate upon retesting.

Representative Sample

A selection of study units selected in an unbiased way.

Sample

A subset of a population selected for study.

Variation

The degree of variance or dispersion of values for a specific variable.