Introduction to Psychological Research Methods

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of psychological research methods, variable types, study designs, statistical correlations, and biases from the lecture.

Hypothesis

A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Variable

A measurable condition of a characteristic or behavior that is controlled or observed in a study.

Operational Definition

A definition that describes the specific actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable.

Behaviorists

Psychologists of a school of thought supporting the idea that a variable must be an observable, measurable condition.

Descriptive Research Design

A research method focused on gathering subjective information, feedback, or descriptive answers without manipulating variables.

Correlational Research Design

A research design that examines the relationship between two or more variables where a non-causal relationship is measured.

Experimental Research Design

A noncorrelational research design involving the active manipulation of a variable in a fully controlled environment to imply a degree of causation.

Belham Bot

The individual identified in the transcript as the creator of the first scientific journal in the field of psychology.

Independent Variable

The specific variable in an experiment that is actively controlled or manipulated by the experimenter.

Dependent Variable

The variable in an experiment that is thought to be affected by changes made to the manipulated independent variable.

Vignettes

Written stories about fictional individuals used by experimenters to manipulate independent variables while maintaining full control over the environment.

Confounding Variables

Extraneous variables different than the independent variable that directly impact or cause changes in the dependent variable.

Control Group

A baseline group in an experiment that controls for the independent variable to ensure that observed changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method involving observation of subjects in their natural habitat without direct intervention, though the observer's presence may alter behavior.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of a single individual involving interviews, examination of personal records, and psychological testing.

Survey

A research tool using questionnaires or interviews to gather information regarding specific aspects of participants' background, beliefs, or behaviors.

Positive Correlation

A relationship between two variables where both variables covary or move in the same direction.

Negative Correlation

A relationship between two variables where the variables covary or move in opposite directions.

Correlation Coefficient ($r$)

A numerical index ranging from $-1$ to $+1$ that indicates the direction and strength of a non-causal relationship between two variables.

Tyler Bike

A statistician who maintains a website running correlation coefficients on random variables to highlight spurious correlations.

Spurious Correlations

Strong statistical correlations between unrelated variables that occur purely due to coincidence rather than a causal link.

Sample

A collection of subjects selected for observation from a larger population in an empirical study.

Population

The larger collection of people from which a research sample is drawn and to which findings are generalized.

Sampling Bias

A flaw occurring when the sample selected for observation is not representative of the larger population from which it was drawn.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency of survey respondents to provide socially approved answers about themselves rather than completely honest responses.

Double-Blind Procedure

A research procedure where participants do not know the specific details or hypotheses being tested in order to prevent experimenter or participant bias.

David Buss (1993)

Researcher who published a 1993 study from an evolutionary perspective demonstrating gender differences in distress regarding physical versus emotional infidelity.

Hypothesis

A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Variable

A measurable condition, characteristic, or behavior that is controlled or observed in research.

Operational Definition

A definition that describes the specific actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable.

Descriptive Research Design

A research design aimed at gathering subjective information and descriptive answers about participants' experiences or feelings.

Correlational Research Design

A research method that examines the relationship between two or more variables without active manipulation or implying causation.

Experimental Research Design

A non-correlational research design involving the active manipulation of a variable in a fully controlled environment to imply causation.

Belham Bot

The person identified in the lecture as the creator of the first scientific journal in the field of psychology.

Journal

A periodical that publishes technical, scholarly material in a specific field, such as School Psych Quarterly.

Independent Variable

The variable in an experiment that is directly manipulated by the experimenter.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is thought to be affected by changes in the manipulated independent variable.

Vignettes

Written stories about fictional characters or scenarios used by experimenters to manipulate variables in a controlled environment.

Confounding Variable

An unconsidered variable, distinct from the independent variable, that directly impacts or changes the dependent variable.

Control Group

A group in an experiment that controls for the independent variable by providing a neutral baseline for comparison.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method in which subjects are directly observed in their natural habitat without active intervention by the researcher.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of an individual using interviews, psychological tests, or personal records.

Survey

A research tool involving questionnaires or interviews to gather self-reported data on participants' actions, beliefs, or backgrounds.

Positive Correlation

A relationship between two variables where both variables covary or move in the same direction.

Negative Correlation

A relationship between two variables where they covary in opposite directions.

Correlation Coefficient

A statistic represented by $r$ that falls between $-1$ and $1$, indicating the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables.

Spurious Correlations

Strong statistical relationships between two variables that occur purely by coincidence and do not have a causal connection.

Sample

A subset or collection of subjects selected for observation from a larger population in an empirical study.

Population

The larger collection of people from which a sample is drawn and to whom study findings are generalized.

Sampling Bias

A flaw in research design where the selected sample is not representative of the larger population from which it was drawn.

Social Desirability Bias

The tendency of survey respondents to give socially approved answers about themselves rather than truthful responses.

Double-Blind Procedure

A research protocol where participants do not know the specific details or hypotheses of the study to prevent bias.

David Buss

The researcher who published a 1993 study on sex-based evolutionary reactions to physical versus emotional infidelity.