AP Psych MCQ02

What are the elements of the scientific attitude?

Curiosity, humility, and skepticism

What is the name of the approach that uses observation and questioning to draw conclusions?

Scientific

Why is psychology considered a science? 

Psychological researchers rely on observations and experimentation when testing claims.

Experiment (cause + effect)

A research method where an investigator manipulates one or more independent variables to observe their effect on a dependent variable while using random assignment to control for other factors

Random selection

A subset of a population chosen entirely by chance, ensuring every member of the target population has an equal probability of being selected

Random assignment

An experimental technique where researchers use a chance procedure to place participants into the experimental or control group, ensuring every person has an equal probability of being assigned to any condition

Independent variable

The factor that the researcher deliberately manipulates or changes to see what happens

Dependent variable

The factor that is measured; it changes in response to the independent variable

Correlation (math relationship)

Measures two or more variables to see how strongly they are related, without manipulating any variables

Variable A and Variable B

Two different traits, behaviors, or events measured by the researcher without any manipulation

Case Study (cohort-specific)

An intensive investigation using multiple sources of information, such as personal interviews, direct observations, medical history, brain scans, and psychometric test results. It examines a single individual or a small group in extreme depth.

Target population

The entire group of individuals that a researcher is interested in studying and to whom the study's results will be generalized

Naturalistic Observation

A research method where psychologists observe and record behavior in a real-world setting without manipulating or controlling the situation

Directed Observation

A research method where a trained observer watches and records overt behavior in real time as it happens, without interfering with the subjects or manipulating the environment

Participant Observation

A descriptive research method where the researcher actively joins and participates in a group's daily activities while recording behavior from an insider perspective

Meta-Analysis

A statistical procedure that combines the quantitative results of multiple separate studies on the same research question to reach a single, overarching conclusion

Factor Analysis

A statistical technique used to find hidden clusters of related items or traits (called factors) by analyzing patterns of correlation among many measured variables

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that you would have predicted or foreseen it all along

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that matches your existing beliefs while ignoring or downplaying evidence that opposes them

Overconfidence

Overestimating the accuracy of our knowledge, judgments, and abilities

Falsifiable

A scientific hypothesis or theory can be proven wrong by an observation, data, or an experiment

Operational Definition

A precise, measurable statement of the exact procedures used to define and measure or manipulate variables in a research study

Replication

The repetition of a research study using the same or similar procedures to see whether the same results can be duplicated

Survey

A descriptive research method that uses questionnaires or interviews to gather self-reported attitudes, opinions, and behaviors from a group of people

Social desirability bias 

A type of response bias where survey respondents or experiment participants answer questions in ways they believe are socially acceptable or favorable rather than telling the truth

Self-report bias 

A methodological error that occurs when research participants report inaccurate or misleading information about their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors instead of data being measured directly and objectively

Experimenter Bias

When a researcher's unconscious expectations or preferences unintentionally influence the outcome of an experiment

Sampling Bias 

Error that occurs when a sample does not accurately represent the target population from which it is drawn

Random Sample

A subset of a population chosen entirely by chance, ensuring every member of the target population has an equal probability of being selected

Convenience Sampling

A group of participants chosen because they are easy to access and available, rather than selected through random methods

Representative Sample

A smaller group of participants chosen from a larger population that accurately mirrors the key characteristics—such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status—of that whole group

Non-Experimental Methodology

Any study where the researcher does not manipulate an independent variable or use random assignment

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical measure from -1.00 to +1.00 that indicates the direction and strength of the linear relationship between two variables

Illusory Correlation

The phenomenon of perceiving a relationship between two variables when no such relationship actually exists

Regression Toward the Mean

The statistical tendency for extreme scores or behaviors to fall back toward the average (the mean) upon a second measurement

Single-Blind Procedure

An experimental design where the participants do not know whether they are in the experimental group or the control group, but the researchers do

Double-Blind Procedure

An experimental procedure where neither the participants nor the researchers interacting with them know who belongs to the experimental group (receiving the actual treatment) and who belongs to the control group (receiving a placebo)

Placebo

A fake or inactive treatment—such as a sugar pill or saline injection—that has no actual medical or therapeutic value

Placebo Effect

A phenomenon where a person experiences a real improvement in symptoms or behavior after receiving an inactive, fake treatment (like a sugar pill or saline injection) simply because they expect it to work

Confounding Variable

Any factor other than the independent variable that changes between groups and can influence the dependent variable, creating an alternative explanation for the study's results

Quantitative Research

A study method that focuses on collecting, measuring, and analyzing numerical data using statistics

Qualitative Research

A type of descriptive research that gathers non-numerical data—such as words, behaviors, or detailed descriptions—to understand thoughts, feelings, and human experiences without using statistical analysis

Likert Scales

A psychometric survey rating tool used to measure attitudes, opinions, and values by asking respondents to rate their level of agreement along a fixed linear continuum

Institutional Review

An administrative committee at a school, university, or research institution that reviews research proposals involving human participants before any study begins to ensure ethical standards are met

Informed Consent

An ethical rule requiring researchers to tell participants about a study's purpose, procedures, and risks before they agree to take part

Informed Assent

A minor's or non-legally competent person's affirmative agreement to participate in a study, given alongside the official informed consent of their parent or legal guardian

Protect from Harm

An ethical guideline stating that researchers must ensure human and animal participants are safe from physical, mental, or emotional pain and distress during an experiment

Confidentiality

An ethical guideline requiring researchers and clinicians to keep participants' or clients' personal data and identities secure and private

Research Confederates

A research assistant or actor who secretly works for the experimenter while pretending to be a normal participant

Debriefing

The post-experimental ethical requirement where researchers explain the true purpose, procedures, and any deception of a study to participants after it ends

Biological

The scientific study of the links between biological structures, processes, and human behavior or mental processes

Evolutionary

Explains behavior and mental processes by how they helped our ancestors survive and reproduce through natural selection

Cognitive

Internal mental processes—such as how you perceive, encode, store, and retrieve information—directly shape and determine your behavior

Sociocultural

A psychological approach that explains human thoughts, feelings, and actions as the result of cultural norms, social expectations, and group settings rather than internal biology or individual learning alone

Psychodynamic

The perspective that personality and behavior are shaped primarily by unconscious drives, internal conflicts, and early childhood experiences

Humanistic

A psychological perspective emphasizing free will, personal growth, and an inherent human drive to achieve self-actualization

Behavioral

A major psychological approach stating that all behavior is learned from the environment through conditioning (classical and operant) rather than driven by inner unconscious conflicts or unseen mental states