AP Psych Vocabulary

Hindsight Bias

• refers to the tendency people have to view events as more predictable than they really are

  • I knew it all along phenomenon 

Theory

• how we organize observations and predict behaviors or events

Hypothesis

• testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Operational Definition

• very specific descriptions of how variables will be measured, and the procedures being used

Replication

•  necessity for research to be repeated to strengthen the results or refute the study 

Surveys

questionnaire that gathers data on what people think and have done

Sample Bias

produces an unrepresentative sample (paying attention to only the negative reviews among many positive)

Random Sample (selection)

• everyone in the population has an equal chance of being selected

Case Studies

• the opposite of surveys. Case studies gather deep data about a certain person or a certain group 

  • Strength

    • Provides full picture of what happened 

    • Chronological data and different views

  • Weakness

    • Time consuming to gather detailed data from a person’s life 

    • If it takes time then it takes money

Naturalistic Observation

• where scientists go to people’s environments and observe them as they really are 

  • Strength

    • authentic data

    • No reactions to observers presence

  • Weakness

    • Ethics of informed consent 

    • Lack of “control”

    • Only descriptions not explanations

Scientific Attitude

•  Curiosity, Skepticism, Humility

Critical Thinking

• thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

Scientific Method

• a self-correcting process for evaluating ideas with observation and analysis

Peer Reviewers

• scientific experts who evaluate a research article’s theory, originality, and accuracy