Research Concepts Overview - VCE Unit 3/4 Psychology

From Jacaranda Textbook

Behaviour

Observable action by a person or animal

Control Group

Group not exposed to the independent variable

Negative Correlation

Two variables change in opposite directions

Accuracy

Closeness of a measure to the 'true' value

Aim

Statement outlining investigation purpose

Anecdote

Informal report of a casually observed event

Bar Chart

Graph using separate bars for data comparison

Beneficence

Maximizing benefits and minimizing risks in research ethics

Between Subjects

Experimental design with participants in one group only

Biased Sample

Sample not representative of its population

Case Study

In-depth investigation of behavior or event

Conclusion

Interpretation of research study results

Confidentiality

Protecting participant's personal information

Confounding Variable

Variable affecting results alongside the independent variable

Control Condition

Standard for comparison in an experiment

Controlled Experiment

Investigation of independent variable effects while controlling other variables

Controlled Variable

Variable held constant to remove its effect on the dependent variable

Correlation

Degree of relationship between two variables

Correlational Study

Investigating variable relationships without control

Correlation Coefficient

Statistic describing variable relationship

Counterbalancing

Systematically changing treatment order to counter performance effects

Data

Information collected through research

Debriefing

Informing participants of experiment aim and results

Deception

Deliberately misleading participants in research

Demand Characteristic

Cue in an experiment biasing participant responses

Dependent Variable

Variable measured based on the independent variable

Naturalistic Observation

Researcher observes behavior in natural environment

Non-maleficence

Ethical principle: avoid causing harm

Non-participant Observation

Researcher conceals presence to observe inconspicuously

Objective Data

Observable, measurable, and unbiased information

Observational Study

Data collection by watching behavior without interference

Operationalise

Defining how variables will be measured in research

Opinion

Subjective viewpoint not based on evidence

Order Effect

Performance influenced by task order, not variables

Outlier

Extreme measurement differing significantly from others

Participant Observation

Investigator studies group by joining inconspicuously

Participant Variable

Personal characteristic influencing responses

Percentage

Statistic expressing a number as a proportion of 100

Personal Error

Researcher's fault or mistake

Placebo

Fake treatment with no known effect

Placebo Effect

Behavior change due to belief in receiving treatment

Population

Entire group of research interest

Positive Correlation

Two variables change in the same direction

Precision

Closeness of measurement values

Primary Data

Information collected directly for research

Qualitative Data

Non-numerical information on characteristics

Quantitative Data

Numerical information on quantity

Questionnaire

Data collection tool with written questions

Random Allocation

Placing participants in groups randomly

Random Error

Error due to chance variation in measurement