Psych 342: Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Construct

Hypothetical or theoretical concept that cannot be measured directly

Epidemiological research

The study of the incidence of a disorder in a population

Experimental group

Group on which manipulation of interest is performed in an experimental design

Experimental method

Research method in which conditions are manipulated in order to test the effects of manipulations on various measures

Interobserver reliability

The extent to which different observers (or raters) agree on the way they categorize or in some way quantify a given observation

Naming fallacy

The incorrect assumption that by applying a label or name to something, we have in some sense explained it

Operational definition

A definition of a target behavior in terms of how it is measured.

Paranoia

Unfounded, irrational, or exaggerated suspicion or mistrust of others

Placebo effect

When an expectation of improvement is sufficient to cause improvement

Psychological disability

Inability to cope with life's demands and stresses, or difficulty in functioning in important daily social and interpersonal roles

Random sampling

Selecting subjects by chance from some larger population

Reliability

The extent to which a measure consistently yields the same results on repeated trials

Significant difference

A difference unlikely to have occurred by chance and therefore reflecting a real effect

Single-Subject experimental design

Experimental method that does not rely on groups of people but rather on repeated measures from individual subjects

Subjective distress

Emotion or internal experience that is distressing to the individual but cannot be directly observed by others

Validity

The extent to which a measure assesses what it is purported to assess

Placebo effect

Psychological disability

Random sampling

Abnormal behavior

Behavior that is culturally inappropriate, is accompanied by subjective distress, and involves a psychological impairment (inability to cope with life's demands)

Case study

The in-depth examination of an individual clinical case

Construct validity

The degree to which an assessment measures the hypothetical construct that it claims to measure

Control group

Group that is treated similarly to the experimental group in an experimental design, except that no manipulation is performed

Correlational research

When the investigator attempts to demonstrate an association or correlation between two or more measurements

Correlation coefficient

A measure of the direction and strength of the relationship between variables

Cultural relativity

The perspective that different cultures may use different standards in defining abnormality

Diagnostic reliability

Consistency and agreement between clinicians in use of a diagnostic label

Double-bind design

Type of experimental design in which both subjects and personnel are kept blind with respect to whether

a subject is in the experimental or control group

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