AP PHYSC Mods 2-3

What is the primary goal of descriptive research?

To provide a clear, accurate picture of people's behaviors, thoughts, and attributes.

What are the three main components of the scientific attitude?

Curiosity, skepticism, and humility.

What is a case study in psychological research?

An in-depth examination of a single individual, which can provide insights into human nature.

What is a major risk associated with case studies?

Overgeneralization from one example.

What is naturalistic observation?

A method of gathering data by observing behavior in a natural setting without intervention.

What is the purpose of surveys in psychological research?

To gather information about many people's thoughts or behaviors through self-report.

How can wording effects impact survey results?

The selection of words can change how respondents interpret questions and influence their answers.

What is random sampling?

A technique that ensures every individual in a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

What does correlation measure in psychological research?

The relationship between two traits or attributes, indicating how closely they vary together.

What is a scatterplot used for?

To visually represent the correlation between two variables.

What is a negative correlation?

A relationship where one variable increases as the other decreases.

What does the correlation coefficient indicate?

The strength and direction of a correlation, ranging from 0.00 to +/- 1.00.

What is an important caution when interpreting correlations?

Correlation does not imply causation.

What is the significance of finding a correlation between ice cream sales and violent crime rates?

It illustrates that two variables can be related without one causing the other.

What is the role of experimentation in psychological research?

To determine causation by manipulating variables and observing effects.

What is hindsight bias?

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.

What is overconfidence in the context of psychological science?

The tendency to overestimate one's knowledge or ability.

What does it mean to perceive order in random events?

The tendency to see patterns or connections in random data.

What is the purpose of experimentation in research?

To manipulate one factor in a situation to determine its effect.

What is the difference between random assignment and random sampling?

Random assignment controls variables by assigning participants to groups, while random sampling selects participants to represent the population.

What is a placebo effect?

Experimental effects caused by expectations about the intervention, often observed when a control group receives a placebo.

How does a control group function in an experiment?

It serves as a comparison group that does not receive the experimental treatment, helping to determine if changes in the experimental group are due to the treatment.

What are independent and dependent variables?

The independent variable (IV) is manipulated, while the dependent variable (DV) is expected to change as a result.

What are confounding variables?

Other variables that might affect the dependent variable and interfere with the results of the experiment.

What is group matching in research?

A method used to ensure that experimental and control groups are equivalent on certain criteria.

What is the observer expectancy effect?

When a researcher's beliefs or expectations unconsciously affect the behavior of the observed subjects.

What is the subject expectancy effect?

A cognitive bias where a subject's expectations influence the outcome of an experiment.

What are demand characteristics in research?

Subtle cues that make participants aware of what the experimenter expects to find.

What is social desirability bias?

The tendency for participants to give politically correct or acceptable answers.

What is stratified sampling?

A process that ensures the sample represents the population based on certain criteria.

What is experimenter bias?

The unconscious tendency for researchers to treat groups differently to confirm their hypothesis.

What is the order effect in testing?

The phenomenon where subjects perform better on tests the second time due to familiarity.

What is counter-balancing in research?

A method where half of the participants do one condition first and the other half do the opposite to control for order effects.

What is sampling error?

The extent to which a sample differs from the population it represents.

What is an ex post facto study?

A research design that examines the effects of a variable after it has already occurred.

What is the role of statistics in research?

To organize, present, analyze, and interpret data for valid conclusions.

What are measures of central tendency?

Statistics that summarize a set of data with a single value, including mode, median, and mean.

What is the range in statistics?

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

What does standard deviation measure?

The average distance of scores from the mean, indicating the spread of data.

What is reliability in research?

The consistency of results across different instances or measurements.

What is statistical significance?

The likelihood that a result is not due to random chance, often determined by the size of the difference between groups.