AP Psychology Module 0 Key Terms

Quiz 9/11

Critical Thinking

Analyzing information objectively to make reasoned judgments.

Hindsight Bias

Believing, after an event, that the outcome was predictable.

Peer Reviewers

Experts who evaluate research before publication.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

Falsifiable

Capable of being proven false by evidence.

Operational Definition

A clear, measurable definition of a variable for research.

Replication

Repeating a study to confirm its results.

Case Study

An in-depth analysis of an individual or group.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in its natural environment without interference.

Survey (correlational study)

Collecting self-reported data to find relationships between variables.

Social Desirability Bias

Responding in a way that will be viewed favorably by others.

Self-Report Bias

Distortion in data due to inaccurate or dishonest participant responses.

Sampling Bias

When a sample is not representative of the population.

Random Sample

A sample chosen so every member of the population has an equal chance to be included.

Population

The entire group being studied.

Correlation

A measure of how two variables change together.

Correlation Coefficient

A numerical value indicating the strength and direction of a correlation.

Variable

Any factor that can vary or change in a study.

Scatterplot

A graph showing the relationship between two variables.

Experiment

A study that tests cause-and-effect by manipulating variables.

Experimental Group

The group receiving the treatment or intervention.

Control Group

The group not receiving the treatment, used for comparison.

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to groups by chance to reduce bias.

Single Blind Procedure

Participants don’t know which group they are in.

Double Blind Procedure

Neither participants nor experimenters know group assignments.

Placebo Effect

Improvement due to belief in treatment, not the treatment itself.

Independent Variable

The variable manipulated by the researcher.

Confounding Variable

An outside factor that may affect the results.

Experimenter Bias

When researchers' expectations influence the outcome.

Dependent Variable

The outcome measured in a study.

Quantitative Research

Research based on numerical data.

Qualitative Research

Research based on descriptive, non-numerical data.

Informed Consent

Participants’ agreement to take part after being informed of risks.

Debriefing

Explaining the study’s purpose and procedures after participation.

Illusory Correlations

Perceiving a relationship that doesn’t actually exist.

Regression toward the Mean

Extreme scores tend to move closer to the average on retesting.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

Descriptive Statistics

Numbers that summarize data features.

Histogram

A bar graph showing frequency distribution of data.

Mode

The most frequently occurring value in a data set.

Mean

The average of all data points.

Median

The middle value when data is ordered.

Percentile Rank

The percentage of scores below a given score.

Skewed Distribution

Data that is asymmetrically distributed.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest values.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how spread out data is around the mean.

Normal Curve

A bell-shaped frequency distribution that is symmetrical.

Inferential Statistics

Methods used to draw conclusions about a population from a sample.

Meta-Analysis

Combining results from multiple studies to find overall trends.

Statistical Significance

The likelihood that results are not due to chance.

Effect Size

A measure of the strength of a relationship or treatment effect.