Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing psychology lecture notes.

Random Sampling

Method in which each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for a study.

Stratified Sampling

Method where the population is divided into distinct subgroups, or strata, based on certain characteristics.

WEIRD (acronym)

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic

Concern with WEIRD samples

Relying solely on WEIRD participants may limit the understanding human behavior to a narrow subset of the global population.

Relationship between sample and population

The sample gathers data and makes inferences about the population as a whole.

Problem with psychology students volunteering at school

The sample wouldn't represent ALL of the school, only a small part (psychology students).

Efficient way to find participants (domestic violence victims)

The researcher could conveniently access a specific population of interest by using opportunity sampling (e.g., asking support groups).

Pre-IB English class used for internal assessment type of sample

Opportunity sample.

Good theory in psychology

A statement used to summarize, organize, and explain observations, and is testable.

Confidentiality (ethical consideration)

Protecting the privacy of participants by keeping their personal information confidential.

Informed consent (ethical consideration)

Participants should be fully informed of process, potential risks, and purpose before agreeing to participate.

Target Population

Specifically studies a group and draws conclusions from them.

Sample Population

Gets a sample from the larger target population.

Representative sample

A group of individuals that accurately represents the larger population they are drawn from (eg. students from different grade levels, genders, programs of a high school)

Population validity

If the sample is not representative of the population that it's drawn from, then the results are not generalizable and the study lacks external validity.

Opportunity sampling

A non-probability sampling method where participants are selected based on their availability and accessibility.

Strength of opportunity sampling

Convenience and efficiency allows researchers to quickly gather data from available participants.

Weakness of opportunity sampling

Can introduce bias and may not accurately represent the larger population.

Haphazard sampling example

A researcher standing in a shopping mall and surveying the first 100 people to walk by.

Why haphazard sampling should be avoided

It can be biased.

Self-selected sample

When participants choose to participate in a study on their own accord.

Strength of self-selected sample

Convenient and cost-effective to recruit participants.

Weakness of self-selected sample

Introduces selection bias.

Snowball sampling

A non-probability sampling method where participants are initially identified by researchers and then asked to refer other potential participants.

Snowball sampling example

Surveying the top 1% of car owners who own premium luxury cars will have to include asking sources to share referrals.

Stratified sample example

Dividing the population into different strata based on programs and then randomly selecting a proportional number of students from each program.

Problem with using WEIRD samples

Using WEIRD samples can be biased.

Laboratory study

Done in a controlled environment.

Field study

Done in a real-world setting, one you cannot control.

Retrospective study

Looking back at past data to study relationship of variables.

Retrospective study example

Researcher study students test scenes of the same test to determine the total amount that passed.

Prospective study

Collecting data overtime to study the occurence of events.

Prospective study example

Watching a plant grow

Longitudinal study

Observing changes and trends of the same group of individuals over an extended period of time.

Longitudinal study example

Studying a litter of puppies until they be adults to see how old they get before they pass.

Cross-sectional study

Collecting data from different individuals at a specific point in time.

Cross-sectional study example

Different age groups studied for their opinions on gender-fluidity in this generation

Internal validity

The extent to which a study accurately measures the relationship between variables without any confounding factors.

Construct validity

The extent to which a measuring tool accurately assesses the theoretical construct or concept that it's intended to measure.

External validity

The applicability of research findings beyond the specific study context.

Population validity

The extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to the larger population from which the sample study was drawn.

Ecological validity

The extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to real-world or everyday settings.

Reliability

The consistency and stability of a measurement or research instrument.

Validity

The accuracy of a measurement or research instrument.

Random selection

The process of randomly choosing participants from a larger population to be included

Random assignment

Process of randomly assigning participants to different groups or conditions in an experiment

True experiment

Refers to a research design where participants are randomly assigned to different groups or conditions (the researcher has control over the IV).

Quasi-experiment

Where participants are not randomly assigned to groups or conditions ( the researcher doesn’t have full control over the assignment of participants to groups or conditions)

Natural experiments

When the researcher takes full advantage of naturally occurring events or circumstances that create different groups

Natural experiment example

Studying the impact of a new law on littering

Demand characteristics

The cues or aspects of a research study that may influence participants to behave or respond in a certain way based on their perception.

Social desirability effect

When a participant behaves in a way that they believe s socially acceptable rather than providing an honest response

Researcher bias

It refers to the personal belief, values, or preferences of a researcher that may influence the design, conduct or interpretation of a study, leading to biased or skewed results, it can be controlled using awareness, objectivity, research design, and peer review.

Bidirectional ambiguity

A situation or concept that can be understood in 2 different ways leading to confusion (eg. He was eating a fish in the water. He was eating a fish that was in the water. )