AP Psychology- Unit 0.4

A hypothesis is..

a testable prediction

What does operational definition do

helps to eliminate bias. It is a statement of the exact procedures used in a research study.

This helps others to replicate, or create the same study and hopefully produce similar results.

a falsifiable hypothesis..

can be disproved with evidence.

Ex: Finding aliens would disprove the fact that they 

don’t exist

Finding aliens would disprove the fact that they 

don’t exist is an example of

a falsifiable hypothesis

(can be disproved with evidence)

to replicate is to

create the same study and hopefully produce similar results

peer reviewing

-assist in replication of an experiment

-when multiple professionals review something before it is published to find errors or issues

What are the 4 ways to test theories and hypothesis

1.  Experiment

2. Case study

3. Naturalistic observation

4. Surveys and interviews

What is an experiment

1. A variable is manipulated

2. There are at least two groups

3. used when we can manipulate something

Case Study

1. often used in cases of child abuse, as the situation cannot be recreated.

2. Usually very revealing, and suggest directions for further study
   3. There can be abnormal findings that skew results because we are looking at only one small sample

4. Usually used in cases where we cannot recreate something

Survey

1. Asking questions to gather information

2. People can lie

3. Wording effects are subtle changes in the order or wording of questions that can have major effects on the results

Ex: People are more approving of “gun safety” laws than “gun control”

People are more approving of “gun safety” laws than “gun control” is an example of

Wording effects

(subtle changes in the order or wording of questions can have major effects on the results)

Genie Whiley

1. She was kept in a bedroom, tied to a potty chair, held captive until 13/14 years old

2. She was discovered around age 13/14

3. She struggled to do most things including walking and language

4. Was barely spoken to or interacted with

Elizabeth Loftus

(The wording effect)

1. Experimented by changing the word used to describe a car accidnet

2. Car crash: how fast was the car going when it smashed into/hit/bumped the other car?

Naturalistic Observation

1. Watching those in natural environments

2. Ranges from watching chimpanzee societies in the jungle to seeing parent-child interactions

3. Has mostly been “small science” –science that can be done with pen and paper

4. Similar to case study, does not explain behavior, it just describes it.

Watching chimpanzee societies in the jungle and seeing parent-child interactions are examples of 

naturalistic observations

(Watching those in natural environments does not explain behavior; it just describes it)

Random Sampling

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has the same chance of being selected

Population Sampling

all of those in a group being studied, where samples may be drawn

Sampling

1. the choosing of people to participate in the study

2. have to be careful when choosing your sample, as it must be representative

Sampling bias is..

when a researcher has a flaw in the sampling that produces an unrepresentative group

Representative Sample

reflects the characteristics of the larger group

Convenience Sample

Not a good sample (not representative)

only asking people close to you (convenient people) to participate in the study

Experimenter Bias

Can influence results

Experimenter accidentally influences the experiment with their own beliefs or thoughts

Self-report bias

1. Data relies on interviewees to be honest and clear in their descriptions

2. this increases the chances for poor data because people can lie

Social desirability bias

1. While some lie on purpose, many lie because of this.

2. When we lie about things because we do not want to be judged.

3. They try to make themselves sound better than they truly are

Ex: we might tell the doctor we have sugar 3 times a week instead of 5

We might tell the doctor we have sugar 3 times a week instead of 5 is an example of

social desirability bias

Hindsight bias

(also known as the I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) is where we insist we knew before something actually happened.

what is the  I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon

hindsight bias, where we insist we knew before something actually happened

overconfidence

We tend to think we know more than we truly do

We are often more confident than we are correct

Qualitative Data

1. When surveying individuals, you will not get numbers right away, but instead stories and reports of feelings, experiences, etc.

2. Surveys are considered qualitative measures

Quantitative Data

When you turn qualitative measures into numerical conclusions