AP Pysch- V1 (SCI1-6)

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, after learning the outcome, that you knew it all along

hypothesis

a good theory produces a testable prediction that expresses a relationship between 2 variables. (falsifiable-the possibility that an idea, hypothesis or theory can be disproven)

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to look for info that supports our expectations and to ignore/distort contradictory evidence

operational definition

carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study (the recipe)

replication

redoing the experiment w/ different participants to see if you yield the same results

case study

a lengthy detailed observation of one or a few subjects

naturalistic observation

watching subjects in their natural environment w/o them being aware (do not manipulate the environment)

survey method

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

social desirability

type of response has where people tend to answer in away they believe will be viewed favorable to others rather than sharing their true thoughts

population

all those in a group being studied, from which samples can be drawn

random sample

sample that fairly represents a population b/c each member has an equal chance of inclusion

correlated

a measure of the extent to which 2 factors vary together, and how well either factor predicts the others

positive correlation

2 sets of data tend to rise or fall together

negative correlation

1 set of data rises while the other set falls

correlational coefficient (r value)

a statistical index of the relationship between 2 variables

ranges from -1 to 1, w/o indicating no correlation, +1 indicates perfect positive correlation and -1 indicates a perfect negative correlation

R value, correlation coefficient

scatterplot

a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of 2 variables

how experiments establish cause and effect

experiments enable researchers to isolate the effects of one or more factors by

experimental group

subject receive the treatment

control group

subjects do not receive the treatment

random assignment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between different groups

random sampling

choosing a representative sample of the population being studied

single blind

the participants in the study are uninformed about the treatment, if any, they are receiving (controls for subjects response bias and placebo effect)

double blind

the participants and the researcher are uninformed about which group receives the treatment and which doesn't (controls for experimenter to not be bias)

placebo effect

causes experimental results simply from expectations or assumptions that medication is being taken

independent variable

the factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

confounding variable

a factor other than the factor being studied that might influence a study's results

qualitative

description based, answer "why" questions

quantitative

answer "how many/much" questions, numerical data

impact of outliers

they can skew the data

meta-analysis

statistically combining the results of many different research studies to reach an overall conclusion

statistical significance (p value)

statistical statement of how likely it is that a result occurred by chance

reported as a p value. a p value of .05 or less means that it's 95% likely the results didn't occur by chance

Stat significance

effect size

a quantitative measure of the strength of the relationship between 2 variables

Overconfidence

To overestimate the accuracy of one's abilities or beliefs

Directionality Problem (in correlation)

A limitation of correlation research when it is uncertain which variable influences another

Third variable problem ( in correlation)

when a 3rd variable causes a correlation b/w 2 variables, often making it seem they have a relationship when they dont

Experimenter bias

Errors in the research process or result interpretation due to a researchers preconceived beliefs, expectancies, or desires about the results

Likert Scales

A tool in psychology questionnaires to measure attitude, behavior, personalities

Structured interviews

Method of research that uses predetermined question set for all interviewees

Generalizability

Measure of how useful/applicable study results are for larger group of people

Convenience sampling

Sampling method involves selecting participants based on accessibility to researcher

Falsifiable

Hypothesis that can be disproven by experimental observation

descriptive stats

describes data set through summary , graphs, and tables. Ex: summary report av height of students in class

inferential stats

uses small sample of sample of data to draw inferences about the larger pop. the sample was from

central tendency

typical value of a distribution (measured by mean, median, mode)

variation

degree to which values in data are dispersed/vary

percentile rank

percentage of scores that are equal or lower than specific score Ex: 45 percentile =

normal curve

bell shaped distribution is where all measures of tendency are equal (mean,median,mode)

Positive Skew

When data is clustered at one end of a distribution graph with a few extreme scores toward the high-end

Negative Skew

A distribution where data is clustered at the higher end with a few extreme scores shifting the graph towards the low end

Bimodal distribution

A set of scores with two peaks, or modes, where values tend to cluster

Standard deviation

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

Regression towards the mean

A statistical phenomenon that describes how values that are much higher or lower than the mean are often closer to the mean when measured a second time

Informed consent

Agreement to participate in research after being informed of the dangers and benefits

Informed assent

Agreement by individual not competent to give legally valid informed consent. (Guardian usually agrees for participant)

Deception

Types of communications that serve to distort or omit the complete truth in experiment

Protection from harm

Obligation of researchers to ensure that participants do not endure more harm than necessary

Confidentiality

Participants and data gain from them must be kept anonymous

Withdrawal

Participants can leave study at any time

Institutional review board (IRB)

Committee that reviews research to make sure it is ethical