psychological research

scientific research

needs evidence to support a claim, needs to be EMPIRICAL with tangible evidence

empirical

grounded in OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE, can be observed again and again with same conclusion

fact

objective reality

opinion

personal judgment, conclusions, attitudes

deductive reasoning

idea tested in the real world, starting with a generalization

inductive reasoning

new idea based on another idea

theory

set of ideas meant to propose an explanation or solution

james-lange theory of emotion

emotional experiences rely on the physiological arousal associated with the emotional state

falsifiable

capable of being PROVEN TO BE INCORRECT

observational techniques

• produce LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFO

• hard to apply findings to larger population

• naturalistic vs. structured

survey

• collects data from large samples

• gives generalized results

• can be skewed by wording

archival research

• use of PRE EXISTING research to collect data

• no control over what was recorded or how it was recorded

correlational data

RELATIONSHIP between two or more VARIABLES **NOT CAUSATION

clinical/case study

focuses on one person or a small group of unique individuals

generalizing

applying the findings of data to a bigger group

naturalistic observation

• observes behavior in its NATURAL SETTING

• accurate info

• hard to set up and control

structured observation

• people observed in SET, SPECIFIC TASKS

• affected by observer bias

observer bias

observers unconsciously skew their observation to fit a goal or expectation

inter-rater reliability

CONSISTENCY of observations BETWEEN OBSERVERS

sample

subset of individuals selected from population

measures of central tendencies

1. mean: average number

2. median: middle of data set

3. mode: most frequent

longitudinal research

• data collected over time from SAME people

• change over time

• attrition rates

attrition rate

people who may drop out of a study

cross sectional research

compares multiple parts of the population at the same time, can show the social and cultural experiences of DIFFERENT GENERATIONS

illusory correlation

when people believe there is a relationship, even though there is none at all

confirmation bias

when researchers look for evidence to support their claim, IGNORE EVIDENCE saying otherwise **”cherry picking”

cause/effect relationship

only determined by scientific experimentation

experimental hypothesis

can come from direct observation or reviewing old research

experimental group

experiences the treatment or variable

control group

does NOT experience the variable or treatment

operational definition

defines the variables so others can understand what is being measured

single blind study

one group is unaware of whether or not they are the experimental or control group

double blind study

both researchers and participants are blind to the group assignments to control expectations

placebo effect

when somebody’s expectations or beliefs influence their experience in a situation

independent variable

manipulated or controlled by the experimenter

dependent variable

what is being MEASURED to show the EFFECT of the IV

random sample

subset of larger population where everybody has an EQUAL CHANCE of being picked

quasi experiment

groups are based on a pre existing condition and are not picked at random, NO CAUSE/EFFECT CLAIMS

statistically significant

must be less than 5% likely that the differences occurred purely by chance

reliability

ability to CONSISTENTLY give a good result

validity

extent that a tool ACCURATELY MEASURES what it is meant to

informed consent

• voluntary

• participants can discontinue at any time

• data is confidential

deception

• researcher purposely misleads participants

• not harmful

• requires debrief after

debrief

addresses:

• purpose

• how the data will be used

• why deception was necessary

• how to obtain additional info about the study

deviation

statistical measurement of how much an individual response varies from the mean

third variable effect

unmeasured factor causes false correlation between two variables