Chapter 2: Research Methods - The Measure of the Mind

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental psychological research methods concepts, including scientific thinking, research design, descriptive and inferential statistics, time-effect studies, and research ethics based on Chapter 2 lecture slides.

Science

A method for learning about reality through the accumulation of evidence.

Objectivity

The practice of basing conclusions on facts without the influence of personal emotion and bias.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to notice and remember instances that support your beliefs more than instances that contradict them.

Critical thinking

The ability to think clearly, rationally, and independently.

Theory

A set of facts and relationships between facts that can explain and predict related phenomena, based on previous research and observations.

Mere exposure theory

A psychological theory stating that the more exposure we have to a stimulus, the more we tend to like it.

Bystander effect

A psychological phenomenon where in an emergency, the more bystanders there are, the less likely it is that any of them will actually help.

Peer review

The process of having other experts examine research prior to its publication.

Replication

Repeating the experiment and producing the same results.

Descriptive methods

Research methods used for making careful, systematic observations.

Case study

An in-depth analysis of one person or a small number of people.

Generalization

To extend conclusions to populations outside your research sample.

Naturalistic observation

An in-depth study of a phenomenon in its natural setting.

Surveys

A descriptive method in which participants are all asked the same standardized questions.

Demand characteristics

A limitation in research where participants may act the way they think they are meant to behave.

Sampling bias

A limitation where some members of a population may be more likely to respond to a survey than others.

Sample

A subset of the population being studied.

Population

The entire group from which the sample is taken.

Correlations

Measures of the direction and strength of the relationship between two variables.

Variable

A factor that has a range of values and varies across individuals or across time.

Operationalization

Defining variables in a way that they can be measured systematically and practically.

Third variable

A variable that is responsible for a correlation observed between two other variables of interest.

Experiment

A research method that tests hypotheses and allows researchers to make conclusions about causality.

Independent variable

The variable that is manipulated and controlled by the experimenter.

Dependent variable

The variable that demonstrates the effects of the independent variable and depends on it.

Random assignment

The procedure in which each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group in an experiment.

Control group

The group in an experiment that is not exposed to the independent variable and experiences normal conditions.

Experimental group

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the independent variable.

Placebo

An inactive substance that cannot be distinguished from a real, active substance/treatment.

Confounding variables

Variables that are irrelevant to the hypothesis being tested but can alter a researcher's conclusions.

Double-blind procedure

An experimental procedure where neither the experimenter nor the participant knows whether they were given an active substance/treatment or placebo.

Meta-analysis

A statistical analysis that allows researchers to combine previous experiments on a single topic in order to draw conclusions.

Cross-sectional studies

A research design that collects data simultaneously from people of different age groups.

Cohort effects

Generational effects of being born at a particular time in history.

Longitudinal studies

A research design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained from the same individuals at intervals over a long period of time.

Mixed longitudinal studies

A method for assessing age-related changes that combines the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches by observing a cross-section of participants over a shorter period than is used typically in longitudinal studies.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure.

Validity

The extent to which a measure measures the concept it was designed to measure.

Descriptive statistics

Statistical methods that organize data (sample info) into meaningful patterns and summaries.

Standard deviation

A statistic that tells us how spread apart measurements are.

Normal curve

A frequency distribution in which most measures are concentrated around the middle.

Inferential statistics

Statistical methods that allow experimenters to extend conclusions from samples to larger populations.

Null hypothesis

The default position stating that there is no difference between condition A and condition B.

Alternative hypothesis

The position stating that there is a difference between condition A and condition B.

Statistical significance

The standard for deciding whether the observed result is due to chance.

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Committees made of members from a university or agency and at least one community member, guided by federal regulations and research ethics to oversee human research.