Unit 0 AP PSYCHOLOGY VOCABULARY

Psychological perspectives

A specific way of observing and understanding human behavior

Hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.

Experiment

a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors.

Declarative/non-experimental

There is a pre variable or group of subjects that cannot be manipulated by the experimenter occurs in real life

Case study

A detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated

Naturalistic Observation

A non-experimental technique of observing and recording behavior naturally occuring situations without trying to manipulate & control the situation

Meta-analysis

A statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion

correlational studies

which uncover naturally occurring relation- ships, are complemented by experiments, which manipulate a factor to determine its effect.

Indpendent variable

Changes the dependent variable, the experimental variable which causes something to happen, the cause variable, variable manipulated by the experimenter

Dependent variable

The experimental variable which is affected by the ind variable, effect variable

Random assignment

assigning participants to the control and experimental groups by chance

Operational definition

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures (operations) used in a research study. For example, human intelligence test measures

Replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations to see whether the baic finding can be reproduced

Variable

anything that can vary and is feasible and ethical to measure

Confounding variable

variables other than the ind. variable, which could inadvertenly influence the dpending variable

Random sample

Group of individuals selected form a population for study, which matches that population on important characteristics such as age and sex

Population

All those in a group being studied, form which random samples may be drawn.

Experimental group

in an experiment, the group exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.

Control group

in an experiment, the group not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

Placebo

Latin for "I shall please"

Single-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which the research participants are ignorant (blind) about whether they have received the treatment or a placebo.

Double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

Experimental bias

bias caused when researchers may unintentionally influence results to confirm their own beliefs.

Self-report bias

bias when people report their behavior inaccorately

Social desirability bias

bias from people's responding in ways they presume a researcher expects or wishes

Sampling bias

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresntative sample

Qualitative measures

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

Quantitative measures

A research method that relies on quenifable, nomenical data

Falsifable

The posibility that an idea, hypothesis or theory can be disproven by ovbservation or experiment

Institutional review board

an administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the ins. in with it is affiliated

Informed consent

giving potential participants enough info. about a study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Debreifing

The post experimental explination of a study, including its purpose and any descriptions to its participants

Ethical guidlines

Informed consent, protection from harm, confindentiality, debreifing, the right to withdraw, and only using deception when absoluitely necessasary and with proper debrefing afterwards

Mean

The arithmetic average of a distribution obatinaed by adding the sources and then dividing by the number of scores

Median

The middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

Mode

The most frequently occuring scores in a distribution

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Normal curve

A symmertrical, bell shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data, most scores fall near the mean (about 68% fall with in standard)

Positive skew

A data distribution where most scores cluster towards the lower end of the scale, with a few extremely high scores pulling the tail of the graph towards the higher values

negative skew

A data distribution where the majority of data points are clostered towards the higher end of the scale, without few extreme low scores, creating a "tail" on the left side of the graph, skewed toward most scores high and few are the low the left

Bimodal distribution

A data set where two distinct values appear most frequently creating two seperate peaks on a graph, indicating the presence of 2 different groups within the data with different characteristics

Regression toward the mean

The tendency for extreme or unusual scores or events to fall back (regress) toward the average

Standard deviation

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score

Percentile rank

The % of scores that are lower than a given score

Scatterplot

A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the poitns suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The ammount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicated high correlation)

Correlational coefficient

A statistical index of the relationship between two varialbes (from -1.00 to 1.00)

Illusory correlation

perceiving a relationship where none exists, or perceiving a stronger-than-actual relationship

statistical significance

A statistical statement of how likely it is that a result escuchas a difference between samples by change assuming there is no difference between the populations being studied

Validity

how well a test measures what it has been designed to measure

Defensible claim

A statement about a subject that requires support with evidence.

Critical thinking

thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluated evidence, and assesses conclusions

Hindsight bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

Overconfidence

The tendency to be more confident than come of and to overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgements