AP Psych-Unit 0-Scientific Method

Theory

Explains a phenomenon

Steps of a theory

1. Hypothesis

2. Design study

3. collect data

4. analyze and draw conclusions

5. Publish research

Hypothesis

1… a testable prediction —supports theory/ disconfirms theory(if… then….) (is theory testable? fal)

Design Study

2… the type-experiment? survey?

collect data

3

analyze and draw conclusions

4… the statistics

Publish research

5… share your theory with he world/ your peers

Mean

Average 1+2+8/3= mean

Median

Middle number 1,2,3 median=2

Mode

Most common 1,2,3,2, Mode=2

Outlier

random number- not close to your data 1,2,3,3,1,2 outlier=10

correlation

how well either factor predicts the other

Correlation coefficient

Statistical index of the relationship between two things

Correlation coefficient diagram

Perfect positive- 1

Strong positive- .9

weak positive- .5

No correlation- 0

Weak negative- -.5

strong negative- -.9

perfect negative- -1

Variablility

Range, Standard deviation (SD)

Range

low to high 1,2,3,4,5 range=1-5

Standard deviation (SD)

distance a score is from the mean

operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study… used to check your own bias

Replication

Repeating the essence of a research study with different participant in different situations to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced

population

all of the people in the group studied where the sample may be drawn from 

a random sample

sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance to participate

Experimental group

receives the treatment or manipulation being studies

Control group

does not get the treatment or manipulation being studied

Independent variable

Factor that is manipulated- being studied

dependent variable

the factor being measures, might change when the IV is manipulated

Non experimental methods

• Surveys

• Case studies- studies on one person

• naturalistic observation- to study someone in their natural habitat/ they don’t know

• Longitudinal- Follows one group of subjects over a long period of time

• Cross sequential-Collects data simultaneously from people of different ages

• Cohort sequential- a group of individuals sharing a common characteristic but with varying ages and observed over time in the group

Experimental research

Has an IV-cause which leads to an effect= strongest relationship

The IV is manipulated

it limits extraneous variables

Extraneous variables

3rd v’s or Confounding v’s

Correlations study

the strength between two things

No manipulation (No IV or DV)

used to predict the future

correlated

one trait or behavior goes with another

negative correlation

opposite

positive corelation

same

Strength of corelation

size of the coefficient indicates the strength of an association between the variables (r)

STUDY MESSY DATA

Informed consent

Researchers must inform participant of the nature of the study and obtain their explicit agreement to participate

Coercion

participant cannot be conned, required or excessivly pain, etc. to participate. Subjects must have the right to decline participation or withdrawal  their participation any time

confidentially

information about a subject during the course of study must remain anonymous

debriefing

oppeness and honesty are essential to experimentation. Researchers must clear up an misconceptions and soon as the study ends. The experimenterhas the duty to asses carefully the possibility of any potential risk(physical or mental) to participant, inform them of existing risk, and correct t or remove any undesirable consequences of participants

Theory

An explanation using a set of principles that organizes behaviors and predicts behavior or events    

explains behaviors or events by offering ideas that organize observatioins

overconfidence

a cognitive bias where individuals have an excessively favorable view of their own abilities, knoledge or judgment which causes them to overestimate performance and underestimate risk

social desirability bias

bias from people’s responding in ways they presume a researcher expects/ wishes

self report bias

bias when people report their behavior inaccuratly

sampling bias

a flawed sampling proces that produces an unrepresentative sample

single blind procedure

experiment procedure in which the research participants are blind about whether they have received the treatment or not

double blind procedure

experiment where both participant and researchers are blind weather the participant has recieved the treatment or not

placebo efect

experiment results cause by expectations alone, not the actual substance or condition you are testing

confounding variable

a factor other than the one being studied that might influence the study’s results

experimenter bias

whenreseachers may unintentiaally influence results to confirm their ownbeleifs

valisity

the extension in which the test or experiment measure or dredicts whatit is supposed to do

quauntitative research

research method that relies on the number data

qualitative research

a research method that relies on in depth narrative data that are not translated into numbers

normal curve

meta analysis

statistical signifigance