Psychological Science Practices: Research Methods and Data Interpretation

These flashcards cover key concepts and terms from the lecture on Psychological Science Practices, Research Methods, and Data Interpretation.

What is Critical Thinking in psychological science?

Analyzing information objectively to form reasoned judgments.

Define Hindsight Bias.

The tendency to believe, after an event, that we 'knew it all along.'

What is the role of Peer Reviewers in research?

Experts who evaluate research before publication to ensure quality.

What is a Theory in psychological science?

A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world.

What constitutes a Hypothesis?

A testable prediction derived from a theory.

What does Operational Definition refer to?

A precise explanation of how variables are measured in a study.

What is Replication in research?

Repeating a study to verify its results.

Describe a Case Study.

An in-depth analysis of a single person or small group.

What is the purpose of Naturalistic Observation?

Studying behavior in its natural setting without interference.

Define Survey as a research method.

A method of gathering self-reported data from a group.

What is Social Desirability Bias?

The tendency for respondents to answer in a way that is viewed favorably by others.

Explain Self-Report Bias.

Inaccuracies in data due to participants misreporting their behaviors or feelings.

What is Sampling Bias?

A flawed sampling process that does not represent the population fairly.

Define Random Sample.

A sample that fairly represents a population, where each individual has an equal chance of selection.

What is meant by Population in research terms?

The entire group from which a sample is drawn.

What does Correlation indicate?

A relationship between two variables, but not necessarily causal.

What is the Correlation Coefficient?

A statistical measure (-1 to +1) of how strongly two variables are related.

What is a Variable in research?

Any factor that can change in a study.

What is a Scatterplot?

A graph showing the relationship between two variables.

Define Illusory Correlation.

The perception of a relationship when none exists.

What does Regression Toward the Mean refer to?

The tendency for extreme scores to move closer to the average over time.

What constitutes an Experiment in research?

A research method involving manipulation of variables to determine cause and effect.

Differentiate between Experimental Group and Control Group.

Experimental Group is exposed to the independent variable, whereas Control Group is not exposed, used for comparison.

What is Random Assignment?

Randomly assigning participants to experimental and control groups to reduce bias.

What is a Single-Blind Procedure?

Participants do not know whether they are in the experimental or control group.

Define Double-Blind Procedure.

Both participants and researchers do not know which group receives treatment.

What is the Placebo Effect?

Improvement resulting from the expectation of treatment rather than the treatment itself.

What is the Independent Variable in an experiment?

The factor manipulated by researchers.

What is a Confounding Variable?

An uncontrolled factor that may influence the dependent variable.

Explain Experimenter Bias.

When a researcher’s expectations influence study outcomes.

What is the Dependent Variable?

The factor measured in an experiment, influenced by the independent variable.

Define Validity in the context of psychological tests.

The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

What is Quantitative Research?

Research involving numerical data and statistical analysis.

Describe Qualitative Research.

Research that explores non-numerical data like themes and concepts.

What is Informed Consent in research?

Participants must be fully informed about a study before agreeing to take part.

Define Debriefing.

Explaining the purpose of the study to participants after it ends.

What are Descriptive Statistics?

Methods for summarizing data such as mean and median.

What is a Histogram?

A bar graph representing frequency distribution.

Define Mode in statistics.

The most frequently occurring number in a dataset.

What does Mean refer to in a dataset?

The arithmetic average.

Define Median in terms of data organization.

The middle score in a dataset when arranged in order.

What is Percentile Rank?

The percentage of scores below a given score.

What constitutes Skewed Distribution?

A distribution where scores are not symmetrically distributed.

Define Range in statistics.

The difference between the highest and lowest scores.

What does Standard Deviation measure?

How much scores vary around the mean.

What is a Normal Curve?

A symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution where most scores fall near the mean.

What are Inferential Statistics?

Methods used to determine if data can be generalized to a larger population.

What is Meta-Analysis?

Combining results from multiple studies to find overall trends.

Define Statistical Significance.

The likelihood that results occurred by chance.

What does Effect Size indicate?

A measure of the strength of a relationship between variables.