IB Psychology SL Yr1-- Unit 1

Vocabulary, EQ and FQ

Psychology

The SCIENTIFIC study of behaviors and mental processes (thinking).

Empirical Evidence

Observable data that is able to be tested; information that is able to be gathered through our senses and that support a claim through being explored.

Falsifiability

The ability of a claim/expirement to be proven false.

Replication

The ability of an experiment to be repeated.

Operationalize

Measuring something that is otherwise unobservable/difficult to measure.

Quantitative

Numerical data; data that can be described through numbers and measurements.

Qualitative

Descriptive data; data presented though descriptions of appearance or qualities rather than numbers.

Experiment

A study that includes one independent variable and one dependent variable, and possibly the other important variables are controlled. The IV is the one manipulated by the researcher and the DV is expected to change as the IV changes. Experiment is the only method that allows cause-and-effect inferences.

Independent Variable

The variable in the experiment that is manipulated by the researcher in order to establish effect/cause relationship with the observed results from it. It is the cause element.

Dependent Variable

The variable that comes as a reaction of the independent variable and the thing we are trying to observe. The effect element of the experiment.

Control Group

The group that receives an absence of the independent variable, usually with the goal of serving to compare back to the results of the experimental group.

Experimental Group

The group that receives the independent variable to some level in the experiemnt.

Factual Question #1: What are the four goals of psychology?

To describe behavior, explain behavior, change behavior and predict behavior.

Reliability

Getting consistent measures across repetition, meaning that when a study is replicated and its results are consistent, the study is reliable.

Validity

Measuring what you are intending to measure, meaning making making sure that the operanizations inside the experiment or other methods actually measure what you want.

Lab Expirement

An experiment that occurs in a completely controlled environment.

Field Experiment

Experiment that takes place in the participant’s natural habitat.

Quasi experiment

An experiment that has too many uncontrolled and outside variables, making it much too uncontrolled to establish a cause and effect relationship.

Confounding Variable

Any uncontrolled and outside variable that interferes in the experiment results. The only thing between the control group and experimental group that should be different is the independent variable.

Factual Question #2: In your own words, describe the 5 types of sampling.

Quota sampling: When the sample for the study is already decided prior to the research in terms of the size and specific characteristics the participants need to have.

Purposive sampling: The sample of the research is already decided prior based on the characteristics of the participants but not the size.

Theoretical sampling: The sample of the research is already decided prior based on the characteristics of the participants but the size is decided once the study reaches a certain saturation of such characteristics.

Snowball sampling: when an initial amount of participants is selected and the following participants come from invitation of the initial number of participants into the study.

Convenience sampling: when the sample is chosen based on what people are easily reachable and available simply because it is cost-efficient.

Factual Question #3: Describe 2 participant biases and 2 researcher biases

PARTICIPANT BIASES:

Acquiescence bias: a participant’s tendency to give positive answers independant of the question, maybe because of their nature or the nature of the question.

Dominant respondent bias: occurs in a group interview setting when one of the participant, the dominant respondent, influences the answers and behaviors of others.

RESEARCHER BIASES:

Biased reporting: When the researcher does not equally represent his findings of the research in the report to support a personal view or opinion of the results.

Confirmation bias: When the researcher has prior beliefs about the research and its findings na dmakes unintentional attempts to confirm those beliefs through the research.

Null Hypothesis

The assumption that the independent variable will have no effect on the dependant variable.

Hypothesis

An educated guess gained from observations of what will happen in the experiment and its findings.

Target population

The population you are trying to generalize the findings of your espirement to; you want to apply the conclusion of the research to that population.

Sample

A selection of people form the target population that accurately represent that target population in the experiment.

External Validity

The ability to generalize the findings of your research to the broader population.

Demand characteristics

Any clues participant gets about what the study is about; it is a type of limitation.

Limitations

Any flaws in the study or expirement.

Independent measures

A particular type of research that involves 2 or more groups that receive two different measures and levels of the independent variable. There is then a comparison between these groups in terms of what results they presented given the independent variable they received.

Repeated measures

When only one group of people is tested with different levels of the independent variable, and then the results are compared between the group itself with respect to what level of the independent variable they had at a certain type.

Factual Question #4: Explain 2 ethical considerations when conducting research and 2 ethical considerations when reporting the findings.

CONDUCTING RESEARCH:

Informed consent: Making sure participation in the study is fully voluntary and the participant is fully aware of the full nature of their involvement, knowing such things like the aims of the study and what will be asked of them.

Protection from harm: Making sure the participants are protected from harm at all times for the duration of the study, including minimizing any consequence of the study itself to the participant.

REPORTING THE FINDINGS:

Plagiarism: Presenting parts of another's work or data as your own, hindering the essential integrity among researchers in relation to their work and ruining the credibility of the study.

Data fabrication: Unethical practice of falsifying or inventing data rather than reporting data that was actually gathered in the research in order to misrepresent the findings of your research.

Theory

An explanation for a psychological phenomena; a statement used to summarize, explain and organize observations. (based of proper studies)