General Psych M2 Notes

archival research

Using existing records to answer research questions.

attrition

A reduction of experiment participants due to them dropping out.

cause-and-effect relationship

Changes in one variable cause changes in another variable; can only be proven through an experiment.

clinical or case study

Observational research focused on few (even one) people.

confirmation bias

Tending to ignore evidence that disproves beliefs or ideas.

confounding variable

Unexpected outside factor that causes the IV or DV to change, meaning the experiment didn’t work as planned.

control group

A group that has no change done to it; is used as a baseline or comparison.

correlation

Relationship between variables.

correlation coefficient

Tells the strength & relationships of variables, ranging from -1 to 0 to 1, represented by r.

cross-sectional research

Comparing multiple segments of the population at the same time.

debriefing

Truthful information given to participants when an experiment involves deception.

deception

Purposely misleading participants to protect the experiment’s integrity.

deductive reasoning

Predictions made based on generalizations.

dependent variable

A variable measured to see how much effect the independent variable had.

double blind study

An experiment where both researchers and participants don’t know who’s in the control group & who’s in the experimental group.

empirical

Objective, tangible evidence that can be found/observed again & again, no matter who observes it.

experimental group

The group that experiences changes/manipulation to test hypothesis/answer research questions.

experimenter bias

Researcher bias that can skew results.

fact

Objective & verifiable observation supported by evidence.

falsifiable

Able to be proven false by results.

generalizing

Applying findings from a specific research project to larger segments of society.

hypothesis

A testable prediction about how the world will behave if an idea is correct; often worded in an if-then statement.

illusory correlation

Seeing false, non-existent relationships between two factors.

independent variable

Variable that is changed to measure the dependent variable.

inductive reasoning

Conclusions are drawn from observations.

informed consent

When participants are informed about their rights, the experiment, & risks.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

A committee aimed at ensuring ethicalness in animal experiments.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee aimed at ensuring ethicalness in human experiments.

inter-rater reliability

A measure of reliability testing the consistency of observations made by different observers.

longitudinal research

Data-gathering repeated over a long period of time.

naturalistic observation

Observing behavior in its natural setting (without disrupting said natural setting).

negative correlation

Two variables change in opposite directions (as one increases, the other decreases).

observer bias

When observations are skewed to match observers’ expectations.

operational definition

Defining what will be used to measure the dependent variable.

opinion

Personal judgments, conclusions, or attributes that may or may not be accurate.

participants

Subjects of psychology research.

peer-reviewed journal article

Research that has been examined & edited by fellow scientists to ensure it is accurate.

placebo effect

Someone’s beliefs influencing their experience/feelings in a situation.

population

Overall group of individuals that researchers are interested in.

positive correlation

Two variables change in the same direction (as one grows, the other grows).

random assignment

When people are randomly assigned to experimental & control groups to ensure diversity.

random sample

Randomly selecting a section of the population; every person has an equal chance at being selected.

reliability

The ability to consistently produce a result.

replicate

Repeating an experiment to test its reliability.

sample

Subset of individuals from a larger population.

single-blind study

When participants don’t know which group they are a part of, but researchers do.

statistical analysis

A method applied to determine the significance of the research findings.

survey

List of questions answered by participants; allows for data collection from a larger population.

theory

Well-developed set of ideas proposing an explanation for observed phenomena.

validity

Accuracy of a result in measuring what it’s designed to measure.