Psych 1X03 Unit 1 Research Methods

Scientific Method

A formal way of asking and answering questions to get the most accurate, objective information possible and sidestep the inaccuracy of our common sense beliefs and assumptions.

Anecdotal Evidence

Information or evidence gathered from others or from one’s own experiences.

Case Study

An in-depth investigation of an individual person or a small group of people, often over an extended period of time.

Construct Validity

The extent to which there is evidence that a test measures a particular hypothetical construct.

Confounding Variable

A variable that the researcher did not manipulate or measure, but that nonetheless could still affect the outcome of the experiment

Correlation

A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables.

Control Group

A group of individuals designed to serve as an accurate comparison in an experiment.

Correlation Coefficient

A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables.

Descriptive Statistics

Statistics designed to describe the data collected. Includes mean, median, and standard deviation.

Double-Blind Study

Experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which group each participant belongs to.

Empiricism

The philosophical perspective that states that knowledge should be gained by direct observation of the world as it is, as opposed to rational perspectives that used logic and reason to determine how the world ought to be.

Experimental Group

The participants in a study who receive the manipulation in regard to the independent variable.

Experimenter Bias

Actions made by the experimenter, unintentionally or deliberately, to promote the result they hope to achieve.

Frequency Distribution

A figure that plots values of a variable on the x (horizontal) axis and the frequency with which those values were observed on the y (vertical) axis.

Hypothesis

Testable statements guided by theories that make specific predictions about the relationship between variables.

Inferential Statistics

Statistics that allow us to use results from samples to make inferences about overall, underlying populations.

Measures of Central Tendency

Descriptive statistical techniques for summarizing a distribution of data into a single value that represents the entire distribution.

Naturalistic Observation

A descriptive research method in which the researcher engages observation of behaviour in real-world settings.

Paradigm

A set of assumptions and ideas about what kind of research questions can be asked and how they can be answered.

Ob-ob mouse

The particular term for a mouse that is the result of a genetic mutation associated with extreme obesity in the mouse.

Operational Definition

This describes the actions or operations that will be made to objectively measure or control a variable.

Reliability

The measurement consistency of a test (or of other kinds of measurement techniques).

Replication

The repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results can be duplicated, often times by independent researchers.

Response Set

A tendency of research participants to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the content of the questions.

Statistically Significant

The condition that exists when the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is very low.

Variability

The extent to which the scores in a data set tend to vary from each other and from the mean.