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Hypothesis
A statement that helps to frame an experiment and give researchers a clear focus in their investigation
Falsifiable hypothesis
When there is possible evidence that would not be considered consistent with the original hypothesis
Operational definitions
A term or terms used to clearly define and quantify variables present in an experiment
Replication
Performing an experiment more than once to compare results
Independent variable
The variable that is manipulated or changed
Dependent variable
The variable that is measured
Population
The entire group that a researcher will draw conclusions from
Random sample
A technique used in research that ensures every member of the population has an equal chance of being picked
Random assignment
When every participant has an equal chance of being in either the experimental group or the control group
Confounding variables
Variables in an experiment that weren’t initially accounted for
Sampling bias
When a sample does not represent the population from which it is drawn
Experimental group
The group that is tested on
Control group
The group that remains the same and acts as the “baseline” for the experiment
Ethical guidelines
Procedures that ensure participants remain safe and healthy:
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Anonymity
Debriefing
Hindsight bias
When a person asserts they knew an outcome was going to happen before witnessing the event
Overconfidence
The tendency for a person to be overly sure of themselves and overestimate their abilities
Confirmation bias
The tendency for people to only seek out information that aligns with their beliefs and avoid or outright ignore opposing information
Descriptive statistics
Numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups that does not allow us to make conclusions beyond the data we have analysed or reach conclusions regarding any hypotheses we might have made
Inferential statistics
Provides data from a sample that a researcher studies which enables him to make conclusions about the population
Mean
The average of a data set
Median
The middle number of a data set
Mode
The number that appears most often in a data set
Range
The difference between the lowest value and the highest value
Positive skew
When a distribution has more scores towards the left of the graph, and only a few scores on the right
Negative skew
When a distribution has more scores towards the right of the graph, and only a few scores on the left
Ordinal listing
Data that is placed in a certain order/scale
Effect size
How much did the statistical significance matter in the experiment
Histogram
A graph that represents discrete or continuous data
Percentile rank
The percentage of individuals in the distribution with scores at or below a specific value
Standard deviation
How far an individual data point is from the average
Correlation coefficient
A number that represents how close to cause and effect the experiment is
Statistical signifcance
Indicates whether or not the difference between groups can be attributed to chance or experimental influences
Normal distribution
A symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution where the mean, median, and mode are equal
T-test
A test that compares the means of two samples
Meta analysis
When researchers combine the results of multiple studies of the same experiment to draw an overall conclusion
Z score
Indicates how many standard deviations a data point is from the mean of the distribution
P value
The probability of getting an experimental result or more under a null hypothesis (p < .05)
Causation
One event is the result of the occurrence of the other event
Positive correlation
Two factors rise and fall together
Negative correlation
One factor rises and the other falls
Illusory correlation
The perception of a relationship where none exists
Single blind
When the subjects do not know all of the information about the study while it is occurring, especially which group (experimental or control) they belong to
Double blind
When neither the participant in the study nor the person giving the study know who is the control group and who is in the experimental group
Experimenter bias
When the experimenter affects the results of their own study because of their expectations
Participant bias
A tendency of participants in an experiment to consciously or subconsciously act in a way that they think the experimenter or researcher wants them to act
Placebo effect
When an improvement of symptoms is observed, despite using a nonactive treatment, believed to occur due to psychological factors like expectations or classical conditioning
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