unit 4 test

independent variables

the variables manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect on another variable

dependent variable

the variable measured to see how it is affected by the manipulation of the independent variable

single blind study

only the participants are unaware of which group they are assigned to - helps reduce participant bias

double blind study

both the participants and the researchers are unaware of group assignments further minimizing bias

experimental vs control

An experimental group, also known as a treatment group, receives the treatment whose effect researchers wish to study, whereas a control group does not.

placebo

a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs

random sample

a type of probability sampling in which the researcher randomly selects a subset of participants from a population

random selection

a form of sampling where a representative group of research participants is selected from a larger group by chance

random assignment

a procedure used in experiments to create multiple study groups that include participants with similar characteristics so that the groups are equivalent at the beginning of the study.

cofounding or third variables

a third factor that could be affecting the results of your study beyond the variables you are directly investigating

evolutionary psychology

study of the evolution of mind and behavior based on principles of adaptation

adaptation

an organism or species becomes better suited for life in its environment

twin biology

studying the effects of heredity and environment ontwo sets of twins , identical and fraternal has come in handy

twin studies

researchers observed identical and fraternal twins to study the idea that all human behaviors reflect the influence of physical and psychological predispositions

nature vs nurture

describes the question of how much a person's characteristics are formed by either “nature” or “nurture.” “Nature” means innate biological factors (namely genetics), while “nurture” can refer to upbringing or life experience more generally.

frontal lobe

voluntary movement, expressive language and for managing higher level executive functions

temporal lobe

processing auditory information and with the encoding of memory

occipital lobe

visual perception, including colour, form and motion

parietal lobe

processes your sense of touch and assembles input from your other senses into a form you can use