Psych AAQ Review

Operational Definition

a statement of the exact procedures used to define research variables, must be quantified (ex: operational definition of “class participation” is “the number of times a student raises their hand in class”)

Standard Deviation

measures how much scores deviate/differ from the mean (a higher standard deviation means the scores are more varied)

Statistically Significant

a result that is unlikely to have occurred by chance, indicating a meaningful difference or effect in a study's findings

Experiment

a research method where an investigator manipulates one or more variables to observe the effect on another variable, establishing cause-and-effect relationships (there is a control group)

Case Study

research method where one individual or a small group is studied in depth in hope of revealing universal principles

Naturalistic Observation

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Meta-analysis

a statistical procedure that combines the results of multiple scientific studies to reach and overall conclusion

Correlation

research method that assesses the relationship between two variables without manipulation, indicating the strength and direction of their association

Longitudinal

a research method that studies the same subjects over a prolonged period of time to observe changes and developments

Informed Consent

give participants enough info about the study to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Protection from Harm

protect participants from greater than usual harm and discomfort

Confidentiality

keep information about individual participants confidential

Debrief

post-experimental explanation of a study, including the purpose and any deceptions to its participants