PSC 162 – Types of Data & Research Methods

30 fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering BLIS data types, their advantages and disadvantages, research designs (correlational, experimental, case study), and basic methodological concepts from the PSC 162 lecture.

The acronym BLIS refers to four types of personality data: __ data.

Behavioral/Biological, Life-Outcome, Informant-report, and Self-report

Behavioral/Biological data (B-data) involve directly observing __ in real life, standardized situations, or experiments.

people’s actions or biological responses

Life-Outcome data (L-data) are objective records of a person’s __, such as school records or criminal files.

real-world outcomes, events, and achievements

Informant-report data (I-data) come from __ who rate or describe the target’s personality.

people who know the target (e.g., friends, parents, teachers, partners, or even strangers)

Self-report data (S-data) are obtained when individuals report on their own __, feelings, or behaviors.

thoughts

A key strength of real-world B-data is its __, meaning it reflects behavior in natural contexts.

realism

Two main disadvantages of laboratory B-data are that it is difficult and __ to obtain.

expensive

An advantage of L-data is that many records (e.g., death or divorce) have high __ importance.

intrinsic

A major disadvantage of L-data is __, meaning many factors can influence a single life outcome.

multidetermination

I-data benefit from the use of everyday __ and the observer’s common sense.

context

I-data can be biased because informants may remember behaviors that are __ or emotionally arousing.

extreme or unusual

S-data offer direct access to a person’s private thoughts and are relatively __ to collect.

cheap and easy

One limitation of S-data is __ bias, where participants try to see themselves in a certain way.

self-presentation (or desirability)

In personality research, using multiple data types to offset each type’s flaws is called __ assessment.

multi-method

The primary goal of psychological research is to continuously __ tentative answers to questions.

improve upon

Psychological data collection is often __ and requires grant funding (e.g., from NIH).

expensive

Research that relies on numeric data (e.g., trait scores) is called __ research.

quantitative

Research using spoken or written responses to extract themes is known as __ research.

qualitative

A correlational design measures two variables to determine their __ without manipulating them.

relationship (association)

An experimental design can infer __ by manipulating an independent variable and measuring its effect.

causal effects

A case study offers an in-depth look at __ individual but cannot establish causal effects.

one (a single)

The statement “correlation does not equal __” reminds us that associations alone don’t prove cause.

causation

Experiments may require __, which can raise ethical concerns and affect realism.

deception

Uncertainty about what was really manipulated in an experiment is sometimes called the __ problem.

third-variable

An ideal research program combines correlational and experimental methods to maximize __.

validity (or explanatory power)

In the EAR method, participants wear a device that intermittently records their __.

ambient audio (daily conversations and sounds)

The classic preschool task that tests self-control by offering kids a marshmallow is a form of __ B-data.

observational (delay of gratification)

Research showing conscientiousness predicts lower mortality used death records as __ data.

L- (Life-Outcome)

Face validity refers to the degree to which a test item appears to reflect the intended __.

construct or variable

In BLIS, the letter “B” sometimes stands for Behavioral and __ data.

Biological