AP Psychology 55 Terms

Confirmation Bias

Favoring information that confirms existing beliefs.

Hindsight Bias

Past Events were predictable

Experiment

Investigate human behavior and cognition

Independent Variable

Variable manipulated by the experimenter

Dependent Variable

Outcome measured in an experiment

Control Group

Participants who don't receive experiment

Experimental Group

Participants who receive treatment/experiment

Random Assignment

Participants are grouped through randomization

Case Study

Thorough study of a subject

Correlation

Relationships between 2 or more variables

Positive Correlation

Variables increase or decrease together

Negative Correlation

variables change in opposite directions

Naturalistic Observation

Observing subjects in natural settings

Hypothesis

Proposed explantion for a phenomenon

Operation Definition

How a concept will be studied

Replication

Repeating study to confirm studies

Central Tendency

The average of a data set

Variation

Diversity in a experiment

Percentile Rank

Percentage scoring at or below value

Mean

Average set of scores

Median

Middle value in data

Mode

Most frequent in data set

Range

Scale between limits in data

Normal Curve

Complex constructs containing random variables

Positive Skew

Tail extends to the right

Negative Skew

Tail extends to the left

Bimodal Distribution

Two peaks/clusters in data

Standard Deviation

Spread from the mean

Random Sample

Equal chance of selection

Population

Study of an entire group

Representative Sample

Subset of a larger population

Generalization

Applying information to new situations

Placebo

Ineffective treatment imitating real one

Single-Blind Study

Participants unaware of treatment given

Double-Blind Study

Researchers and participants are unaware

Quantitative Research

Study of numbers and logic

Likert Scales

Used to measure respondents attitude

Peer Review

Other experts review your work

Scatterplot

Displays relationship between two variables

Correlational Coefficient

Direction and strength between variables

Statistical Significance (P-Value)

Result is unlikely to occur

Third Variable Problem (confounding variable)

Influences independent and dependent variables

Institutional Review Board

Group designed to monitor subjects

Informed Conset

Agreement after reviewing risks/benefits

Informed Assent

Agreement from minors or those unable to consent.

Confidentiality

Preserving patients sensitive information

Protection from harm (ethics)

Ensuring patients avoid any injuries

Experimenter Bias

Researchers influence experiment results unconciously

Social Desirability Bias

Answering questions favorably for approval

Deception (ethics)

Convincing recipients of false information

Debriefing

Discussion after an experiment

Z-score

Distance from mean

Null Hypothesis

No relationship between studied variables

Longitudinal Study

Repeated observations of same group

Cross Sectional Study

Data analyzed from one point