Unit 0

critical thinking careful evaluation of evidence and reasoning before accepting a conclusion

hindsight bias the tendency to believe, after an event, that you knew it would happen

peer reviewers experts who evaluate research before it is published

theory an organized explanation that uses evidence to explain observations and predict outcomes

hypothesis a testable prediction about how two or more variables are related

falsifiable able to be tested and potentially shown to be false

operational definition a specific description of how a variable is measured or manipulated

replication repeating a study to see whether the original findings can be reproduced

case study an in-depth study of one person, group, or situation

naturalistic observation observing behavior in its natural environment without interfering

survey a method of collecting information by asking people questions

social desirability bias the tendency to give answers that make you look more favorable to others

self-report bias error caused when people inaccurately report their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

sampling bias a problem that occurs when a sample does not accurately represent the population

random sample a sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected