Chapter 2: Studying Behavior Scientifically

External Validity

Which is the degree to which the results of a study can be generalized to other populations, settings, and conditions.

Standard Deviation

Takes into account how much each score in a distribution differs from the mean.

Inferential Statistics

Tell us how confident we can be in making inferences about a population based on findings obtained from a sample.

Replication

Is the process of repeating a study to determine whether the original findings can be duplicated.

Mode

Is the most frequently occurring score in a distribution.

Operational Definition

Defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce or measure it.

Archival Measures

Which are records or documents that already exist.

Meta analysis

A statistical procedure for combining the results of different studies that examine the same topic.

Random Sampling

Every member of the population has an equal probability of being chosen to participate in the survey.

Mean

Is the arithmetic average of a set of scores.

Double Blind Procedure

In which both the participant and experimenter are kept unaware as to which experimental condition the participant is in.

Correlation Coefficient

Statistic that indicates the direction and strength of the relation between two variables

Statistical Significance

Means that it is very unlikely that a particular finding occurred by chance alone.

Representative Sample

Is one that reflects the important characteristics of the population.

Random Assignment

A procedure in which each participant has an equal likelihood of being assigned to any one group within an experiment.

Counterbalancing

A procedure in which the order of conditions is varied so that no condition has an overall advantage relative to the others.

Internal Validity

Represents the degree to which an experiment supports clear causal conclusion.

Sample

Which is a subset of individuals drawn from the larger population.

Population

Consists of all the individuals who we are interested in drawing a conclusion about.

Independent Variable

The factor that is manipulated or controlled by the experimenter.

Descriptive Research

Seeks to identify how humans and other animals behave, particularly in natural settings.

Negative Correlation

Occurs when higher scores on one variable are associated with lower scores on a second variable.

Placebo

Refers to a substance that has no pharmacological effect.

Naturalistic Observation

The researcher observes behavior as it occurs in a natural setting and attempts to avoid influencing that behavior.

Survey Research

Information about a topic is obtained by administering questionnaires or interviews to many people.