Psychology research methods - Chapter 2

Probabilistic

Describing the empirical method, stating that science is intended to explain a certain proportion (but not necessarily all) of the possible cases.

Confound

A general term for a potential alternative explanation for a research finding; a threat to internal validity.

Review journal article

An article summarizing all the studies that have been published in one research area.

Meta-analysis

A way of mathematically averaging the effect sizes of all the studies that have tested the same variables to see what conclusion that whole body of evidence supports.

Paywalled

Term referring to a peer-reviewed academic journal that the general public must pay to access; only people who are members of subscribing institutions can access the content.

Disinformation

A news story, photo, or video deliberately created to be false or misleading.

Empirical journal article

A scholarly article that reports for the first time the results of a research study.

Open access

Term referring to a peer-reviewed academic journal that anyone, even the general public, can read without paying for access.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to consider only the evidence that supports a hypothesis, including asking only the questions that will lead to the expected answer.

Lateral reading

A critical reading technique in which, rather than reading deeper into a suspicious website, one checks its claims on alternative, legitimate news sources.

Click restraint

A critical reading technique in which one deliberately pauses before accepting, sharing, or following an online link, especially when it provokes an emotional response.

Comparison group

A group in an experiment whose levels on the independent variable differ from those of the treatment group in some intended and meaningful way. Also called comparison condition.

Effect size

The magnitude, or strength, of a relationship between two or more variables.

Bias blind spot

The tendency for people to think that compared to others, they themselves are less likely to engage in biased reasoning.

Confederate

An actor who is directed by the researcher to play a specific role in a research study.

Availability heuristic

A bias in intuition, in which people incorrectly estimate the frequency of something, relying predominantly on instances that easily come to mind rather than using all possible evidence in evaluating a conclusion.