AP Psychology - Unit 1, Module 5

What is the process of the Scientific Method?

Theory, Hypothesis, research/observation, confirm, reject, revise theory

Scientific Method

process for evaluating ideas with objective observations/analysis

Theory

organizes/offers ideas to explain observations and predict behavior/events; theories need to be tested/produce testable predictions

Hypothesis

predicts what results would support the theory and what would disprove it; must be a “testable theory”

Operational definitions

Quantifiable/measurable definitions of procedures/concepts; Ex. Sleep deprived means X hours less sleep; precise definition allows others replicate the method to reconfirm findings

What should a good theory do?

Organize observations, applicable/testable predictions, stimulates further research

Descriptive Methods

Non experimental, describe behaviors, often case studies, surveys

Correlational methods

Non experimental, relationship between variables

Experimental Methods

manipulate variables to test hypo

Case Studies

Examines one person/group in detail; extensive info/direction for future research; usually not representative of the entire group, slow

Naturalistic Observations

Observing subjects (human or animal) in natural situations without using conditioning; Only describes behaviors, not explains it; descriptions sometimes reveal important info

Meta Analysis

Combining results of different studies to get a more comprehensive result.

Surveys

looks at many cases in less depth, people self

Sampling Bias

flawed sampling process that results in an unrepresentative sample.

Population

everyone in the group being studied (ie. the population of a study on the food intake of Canadians would be all Canadians).

Random Sample

a sample where everyone in the population has an equal chance of being chosen; Random sample not always representative, larger sample sizes tend to be more representative

Wording Effect

changes and arrangements in the order/wording of questions impact the answer