Research Design Vocabulary

Flashcards for Unit Zero - Research Design Basic Vocabulary, including hypothesis, operational definition, qualitative data, quantitative data, population, and sample.

Hypothesis

Tentative explanation; must be falsifiable; able to be supported or rejected.

Operational Definition

Clear, precise, quantifiable definition of your variables; allows replication and collection of reliable data

Qualitative data

Descriptive data (e.g., eye color).

Quantitative data

Numerical data; ideal and necessary for statistics.

Population

Everyone the research could apply to.

Sample

The people (or person) specifically chosen for your study.

Correlation

A type of research design that identifies relationships between two variables but does not determine causation.

Positive Correlation

Variables increase & decrease together.

Negative Correlation

As one variable increases, the other decreases.

Experiments

Purposely manipulate variables to determine cause /effect.

Independent Variable

Purposefully altered by researcher to look for effect.

Experimental Group

Received the treatment (part of the IV); can have multiple exp groups.

Control Group

Placebo, baseline (part of the IV); can only have 1.

Dependent Variable

Measured variable (is DEPENDENT on the independent variable).

Placebo Effect

Any observed effect on a behavior caused by the placebo (shows effectiveness of exp. Treatment).

Double-Blind

Experiment where neither the participant nor the experimenter are aware of which condition people are assigned to.

Single-Blind

Only participant is blind – used if experimenter can’t be blind.

Confound

Error/flaw in study that is accidentally introduced.

Random Assignment

Assigns participants to either control or experimental group at random –increase chance of equal representation among groups

Naturalistic Observation

Observe people in their natural settings.

Case Study

Studies ONE person (usually) in great detail

Meta-Analysis

Combines multiple studies to increase sample size and examine effect sizes.

Descriptive Stats

Show shape of the data.

Mean

Average. Use in normal distribution.

Median

Middle number - use in skewed distribution.

Mode

Occurs most often.

Bimodal

Has two modes – usually indicates good bad scores.

Skew

Created by outliers.

Neg Skew

Mean is to the left (neg side), mode is to the right.

Pos Skew

Mean is to the right.

Range

Distance between smallest and biggest number.

Standard deviation

Average amount the scores are spread from the mean (bigger # = more spread).

Inferential Statistics

Establishes significance (meaningfulness).

Statistical Significance

Results not due to chance; exp. manipulation caused the difference in means.

Effect Size

Data has practical significance – bigger = better.

Confidentiality

Names kept secret.

Informed Consent

Must agree to be part of study.

Informed Assent

Minors AND their parents must agree.

Debriefing

Must be told the true purpose of the study (done after for deception).

Surveys

Usually turned into correlation. Subject to self report bias. Errors when collect survey data.

Social Desirability

People lie to look good.

Wording Effects

How you frame the question can impact your answers.

Random Sample (selection)

Method for choosing participants for your study –everyone has a chance to take part, increases generalizability.

Representative Sample

Sample mimics the general population (ethnic, gender, age).

Convenience Sample

Select participants on availability – less representative and less generalizability this way.

Sampling bias

Sample isn’t representative, due to conv. sampling.

Cultural Norms

Behaviors of a particular group can influence research results.

Experimenter bias / Participant bias

Experimenter/participant expectations influences the outcome.

Cognitive Bias

Bias in thinking/judgment.

Confirmation Bias

Find info that supports our preexisting beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

“I knew it all along”.

Overconfidence

Overestimate our knowledge / abilities.

Hawthorne Effect

People change behavior when watched.