Research Methods (Easy)

Why study research methods

to not be tricked by silly stuff and to find the truth

Theory

a big idea that tries to explain many things

Hypothesis

a guess we can test

Operational Definition

a way to measure things clearly, like saying “happiness = number of smiles”

Empiricism

believe what we see and measure, not just what we think

Falsifiability

a guess must be testable and able to be wrong

Replication

do it again to make sure it’s true

Naturalistic Observation

watch people or animals without them knowing

Field Study

like naturalistic, but you talk to them too

Case Study

study one person super closely for a long time

Survey

ask lots of people questions

Correlational Study

see if two things go together but it doesn’t mean one caused the other

Positive Correlation

both go up or both go down, like height and shoe size

Negative Correlation

one goes up, the other goes down, like TV time and grades

Zero Correlation

no link at all

Correlation Rule

correlation is NOT the same as cause

Experiment

a test where we change one thing to see what happens

Independent Variable (IV)

the thing we change, like giving candy or not

Dependent Variable (DV)

the thing we measure, like how happy kids are

Experimental Group

gets the real thing

Control Group

does not get it, used to compare

Random Assignment

pick groups by chance, not by choice

Placebo Effect

people think they got the real thing, so they act different

Experimenter Bias

researcher might give hints by accident

Double-Blind

nobody knows who got what, so it’s fair

Confounding Variable

a sneaky extra thing that messes with results

Selection Bias

when groups aren’t random, results might be wrong

Description

say what happened

Explanation

say why it happened

Prediction

guess what will happen next

Change

try to make things better

Informed Consent

people must say yes before joining

Voluntary Participation

people join because they want to

Restricted Deception

only trick them if it’s really needed

Debriefing

tell them the truth after

Confidentiality

keep secrets safe

Alternative Activities

give another option if they don’t want to join