PSYC 379- Exam 1 (terms)

terms & definitions only

empirical

direct observation and systematic control

ethnocentrism

attempt to understand behavior of individuals in different cultures based on experiences in one’s own culture (ex: Kolberg)

multimethod approach

incorporating quantitative and qualitative approaches to achieve a complete understanding and prevents limitations of single research method

illusory correlation

perceive a relationship between events when none exists

independent variable

what is manipulated, predictor variable

dependent variable

what is the outcome, interest variable

description vs inference

description: main focus, what can be seen or observed objectively

inference: how observation is interpreted

operationalization

way to define a concept/construct in terms of observable procedures used to produce and measure it

accuracy

difference between what an instrument says is true and what is known to be true

precision

detailed and fine-grained measurements

validity

truthfulness of a measure

construct validity

measurement of the construct of interest

face validity

measure assesses what it claims to assess

content validity

experts agree/disagree that the measure is valid

predicitive validity

measures correlation with other measures of the same construct at a future point in time

description

intention to define, classify, catalogue, or categorize evnts and their relationships to describe mental processes and behavior

prediction

identifying correlations among variables

explanation

understand and explain a phenomenon when they can identify it’s cause(s)

internal vs. external validity

internal validity- confidence in the “truth” of a relationship (strengthens rigorous experimental design)

external validity- how well will results generalize to other people, settings, and conditions

applied vs basic research

applied- more laboratory based with the goal of testing a theory about a phenomenon

basic- answering core fundamental questions about how mental processes and behaviors work to build foundational knowledge

ontology

nature of reality and being

axiology

role and place of values and subjectivity in research process

paradigm

interellated set assumptions organized about the social world (philosophical and conceptual framework)

post-positivism

one can never fully capture a true reality, theory falsification leads to prediciton and control

critical-ideological

challenge and disrupt the status quo

APA 5 ethical principles

1. beneficence and nonmaleficence- alert to guard against factors that lead to misuese of influence, benefit and try to do no harm

2. fidelity and responsibility- establish relationships of trust, awareness of professional and scientic responsibilities

3. integrity- promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness (no stealing, cheating, or misrepresent facts)

4. justice- fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from contributions of psychology

5. respect for people’s rights and dignity- respect dignity and worth of all people, rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality and self-determination

minimal risk

harm or discomfort research participants may experience is not greater than experiences in daily lives weigh risk/benefit ratio

assent

affirmative agreement to participate in a research study when not legally old enough or capable of providing informed consent

zeitgeist

spirit of the times, shapes how/what research questions are asked, resources dedicated to science, acceptance of findings by society

hypothesis

tentative explanation for a phenomenon, how particular variables are related and the reason they are related

debriefing

informing participants about the study so that they feel good about the research experience and leave the study in the same state as arrived

confirmation bias

interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions

deception

method of intentionally misleading or withholding information from participants about the study, to understand true nature of people

experiment

systematic procedure in which one or more independent variables are manipulated to observe their effect on dependent variables while controlling extraneous factors to establish cause-and-effect relationships

construct

psychological word for concepts, used to refer to things, events, and relationships

instrument

tools used to measure construct, based on operational defintion

measurement

assigning numbers to objects

reliability

consistency of a measure

test-retest reliability

same instrument gives similar result at two points in time

inter-observer reliability

agreement between two or more indepedent observers

instrument reliability

consistency to a scale (ex: depression scale)

nomothetic

general patterns or universal statements, not about individuals; large sample sizes and averages

idiographic

applying to the individual, case study and qualitative research

correlation

a measure of how much two or more variables change or co-occur together predictably

confounding variable

when a third variabloe is responsible for a proposed cause-effect relationship

generalization

an assumption or belief about something specif that can be applied to a broader context

theory

a well-substantiated explanation for a set of facts, events, or phenomena, developed through reasoning, observation, and testing

epistemology

study and acquisition of knowledge, relationship between the knower and would be knower

methodology

process and procedures of research

positivism

explain and lead to predicition and control of phenomena, one true reality and objectivce approach

constructivism-interpretivism

understand lived experiences, construct meaning

belmont principles (three)

1. Respect for persons- individuals should be treated as autonomous agents and those diminished autonomy are entitled to protection

2. Beneficence- treated in ethical manner by respecting their decisions and protecting them from harm, make efforts to secure well-being (do no harm and maximize possible benefits)

3. Justice- sense of fairness in distribution or what is deserved, entilement of people (should not be denied)

risk/benefit ratio

“is it worth it”

• balance benefit to society and cost to individuals

informed consent

process where a researcher explains the risks, benefits, and options of a treatment or study before a person agrees to it

privacy

participant’s right to control when, how, and to what extent their personal information, body, or behavior is shared with researchers

different tests used to make ethical decisions

• harm test- benefits outweigh the harm?

• reversibility test- good idea if trading places?

• common practice test- what if everyone behaved this way?

• legality test- legal vs ethical laws?

• colleague test- what would they say/advice?

• wise relative test- what would they say/advice?

• mirror test- would you feel proud of yourself?

• publicity test- open to public?