AP Psych: Unit 2 Flashcards

Scientific attitude

An approach to finding truth by using curiosity, skepticism, and humility, focusing on evidence rather than opinions.

Hindsight bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that you already knew it would happen.

Overconfidence

The tendency to believe we know more than we actually do.

Perceiving order

The tendency to find patterns or sequences in events, including random data.

Peer reviewers

Scientific experts who evaluate a research article's theory, originality, and accuracy.

Hypothesis

A prediction that can be supported through testing.

Falsifiability

The possibility that a theory or hypothesis can be proven wrong through an experiment or observation.

Operational definitions

Statements describing the exact procedures or operations used in a research study.

Replicate

To repeat the same research process to determine whether the results can be duplicated.

Case study

A research method in which one person or group is studied thoroughly.

Naturalistic observation

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without controlling or manipulating anything.

Survey

A self-report method used to collect information from people.

Social desirability bias

When people respond in ways they believe the researcher wants or expects.

Self-report bias

When people inaccurately report their own behaviors, personality, or actions.

Sampling bias

A flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample.

Random sample

A sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Population

The entire group that a researcher wants to study.

Correlation

A measure of how two variables vary together and how well one predicts the other.

Correlation coefficient

A statistical measure of the relationship between two variables.

Variables

Anything that can vary and be measured.

Scatterplot

A graph containing points representing two variables that shows the direction and strength of their relationship.

Illusory correlation

Perceiving a relationship between variables when no actual relationship exists.

Regression toward the mean

The tendency for unusually high or low results to become closer to the average when measured again.

Experiment

A research method in which researchers manipulate one or more variables and measure their effects.

Experimental group

The group that is exposed to the treatment.

Control group

The group that is not exposed to the treatment.

Random assignment

Placing participants into experimental and control groups by chance.

Single-blind procedure

A procedure in which participants don't know whether they received the treatment or placebo.

Double-blind procedure

A procedure in which neither the participants nor the researchers know who received the treatment or placebo.

Placebo effect

Results caused by a participant's expectations or assumptions rather than the actual treatment.

Independent variable (IV)

The variable that the researcher manipulates.

Confounding variable

A variable other than the one being studied that could influence the experiment's results.

Experimenter bias

When researchers unknowingly influence an experiment in a way that supports their expectations or beliefs.

Dependent variable (DV)

The variable that is measured.

Validity

The extent to which a test or experiment actually measures what it is supposed to measure.

Humane and healthful conditions

Safe, clean, and healthy research conditions in which people and animals are treated with care and protected from unnecessary harm.

Informed consent

Giving participants enough information about a study for them to decide whether they want to participate.

Debriefing

Explaining the study to participants after it has ended, including its purpose and any deception used.

Descriptive statistics

Numerical data used to summarize and evaluate characteristics of groups.

Histogram

A bar graph showing the frequency of a distribution.

Mode

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution.

Mean

The average of a distribution.

Median

The middle score in a distribution.

Percentile rank

The percentage of scores that fall below a given score.

Skewed distribution

A distribution in which scores are not symmetrical around the average.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

Standard deviation

A measure of how much values vary around the mean.

Normal curve

A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data.

Inferential statistics

Methods used to draw conclusions about a larger population using data from a smaller sample.

Statistical significance

A measure of how likely it is that a result occurred by chance.

Effect size

A measure of the strength of a relationship between two variables.