Unit 1 Vocab
APA Ethical Code of Conduct
The code which provides guidelines for psychologists to resolve ethical situations encountered while researching.
Ex. In a study of human behavior, the code requires participants to give informed consent.
Barnum Effect
People tend to accept very vague or general characterizations of themselves and consider them accurate.
Ex. Horoscopes.
Case Study
A descriptive technique in which one individual or a small group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Ex. Studying a student from each grade to see if CV has a drug problem.
Confounding Variable
A factor other than the factor that is being studied that may affect the study’s results.
Ex. Studying the effects of a medication for a symptom, other factors could also influence if the symptom continues or goes away.
Control Condition
The group not being exposed to the treatment, compared with the results of the group being exposed to the treatment.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the control group is given a sugar pill instead of the real one.
Correlation
A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Ex. Temperature goes up, ice cream sales go up.
Correlation Coefficient
A statistical index of the relationship between two things.
Ex. If temperature sales and ice cream both increase, the correlation coefficient is positive.
Dependent Variable
The outcome of an experiment that is measured.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the dependent variable is the effectiveness of the pill.
Double Blind
An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the staff are unaware of whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the researchers and participants do not know who is given the placebo and who is given the actual pill.
Experiment
A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process.
Ex. Effects of music on plant growth.
Experimental Condition
The group exposed to the treatment, compared with the results of the group not being exposed to the treatment.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the experimental group is given the real pill and not a placebo.
Experimenter Bias
The experimenter inadvertently affects the results of the experiment, which can be prevented by the double-blind procedure.
Ex. An experimenter overseeing a group of participants is rude and obnoxious, results can be affected by this.
Hawthorne Effect
Knowing that you are in an experiment can change the results of the experiment.
Ex. The Hawthorne electric plant tested to see if productivity was higher with lights off or on, but productivity went up both times as people knew they were in an experiment.
Hindsight Bias
The tendency to believe one would have foreseen an outcome after learning it.
Ex. Someone says “I knew they were going to win” after a sports game.
Hypothesis
A testable prediction.
Ex. If music is played for pea plants, then the pea plants will grow faster because the vibrations of the music will stimulate cell growth.
Independent Variable
The factor in an experiment that is manipulated.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the IV is the type of pill being given (sugar pill or real pill).
Mean
The average of a distribution.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. 10 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 16. 16/4 = 4.
Median
The middle score in a distribution.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. The median is 2.
Mode
The most frequently occurring number in a data set.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. Mode is 2.
Naturalistic Observation
A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation.
Ex. Observing the behaviors of students to determine if CV has a drug problem.
Operational Definition
A specific list of behaviors that can be observed or measured to test an abstract concept.
Ex. Operational definition for intelligence: the score on a test.
Overconfidence
The tendency to be more confident than correct.
Ex. Assuming you’ll get a 100 on a test but actually getting a 70.
Placebo Effect
Experimental results caused by expectations alone.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the participants given the sugar pill report improved symptoms due to believing the pill is real and is working.
Population
All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.
Ex. When studying drug use at CVHS, the population is the student body of CVHS.
Random Assignment
Assigning participants to control and experimental groups by chance.
Ex. When studying drug use at CV, randomly choosing students (randomly generating a number, name, etc.)
Random Sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Ex. When studying drug use at CV, the students randomly selected to participate in the study.
Range
The difference between the highest and lowest score in a distribution.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. 10 - 2 = 8.
Replication
Repeating a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.
Ex. A pill is being tested, multiple trials are run with different groups of people to make sure the results are accurate.
Single Blind
An experimental procedure in which the research participants are not aware of whether they have received the treatment or a placebo, but the researchers are.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the participants do not know who is given the real pill, but the researchers do.
Standard Deviation
A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. SD is 4.
Statistical Significance
A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.
Ex. A study finds that a certain medication lowers the risk of getting a disease from 0.2% to 0.1% in a sample size of 30,000, the results are statistically significant.
Survey
A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported
Ex. A questionnaire handed out to students to see if CV has a drug problem.
Theory
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.
Ex. Natural selection, organisms best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
APA Ethical Code of Conduct
The code which provides guidelines for psychologists to resolve ethical situations encountered while researching.
Ex. In a study of human behavior, the code requires participants to give informed consent.
Barnum Effect
People tend to accept very vague or general characterizations of themselves and consider them accurate.
Ex. Horoscopes.
Case Study
A descriptive technique in which one individual or a small group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Ex. Studying a student from each grade to see if CV has a drug problem.
Confounding Variable
A factor other than the factor that is being studied that may affect the study’s results.
Ex. Studying the effects of a medication for a symptom, other factors could also influence if the symptom continues or goes away.
Control Condition
The group not being exposed to the treatment, compared with the results of the group being exposed to the treatment.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the control group is given a sugar pill instead of the real one.
Correlation
A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Ex. Temperature goes up, ice cream sales go up.
Correlation Coefficient
A statistical index of the relationship between two things.
Ex. If temperature sales and ice cream both increase, the correlation coefficient is positive.
Dependent Variable
The outcome of an experiment that is measured.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the dependent variable is the effectiveness of the pill.
Double Blind
An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the staff are unaware of whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the researchers and participants do not know who is given the placebo and who is given the actual pill.
Experiment
A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process.
Ex. Effects of music on plant growth.
Experimental Condition
The group exposed to the treatment, compared with the results of the group not being exposed to the treatment.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the experimental group is given the real pill and not a placebo.
Experimenter Bias
The experimenter inadvertently affects the results of the experiment, which can be prevented by the double-blind procedure.
Ex. An experimenter overseeing a group of participants is rude and obnoxious, results can be affected by this.
Hawthorne Effect
Knowing that you are in an experiment can change the results of the experiment.
Ex. The Hawthorne electric plant tested to see if productivity was higher with lights off or on, but productivity went up both times as people knew they were in an experiment.
Hindsight Bias
The tendency to believe one would have foreseen an outcome after learning it.
Ex. Someone says “I knew they were going to win” after a sports game.
Hypothesis
A testable prediction.
Ex. If music is played for pea plants, then the pea plants will grow faster because the vibrations of the music will stimulate cell growth.
Independent Variable
The factor in an experiment that is manipulated.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the IV is the type of pill being given (sugar pill or real pill).
Mean
The average of a distribution.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. 10 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 16. 16/4 = 4.
Median
The middle score in a distribution.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. The median is 2.
Mode
The most frequently occurring number in a data set.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. Mode is 2.
Naturalistic Observation
A descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation.
Ex. Observing the behaviors of students to determine if CV has a drug problem.
Operational Definition
A specific list of behaviors that can be observed or measured to test an abstract concept.
Ex. Operational definition for intelligence: the score on a test.
Overconfidence
The tendency to be more confident than correct.
Ex. Assuming you’ll get a 100 on a test but actually getting a 70.
Placebo Effect
Experimental results caused by expectations alone.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the participants given the sugar pill report improved symptoms due to believing the pill is real and is working.
Population
All those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn.
Ex. When studying drug use at CVHS, the population is the student body of CVHS.
Random Assignment
Assigning participants to control and experimental groups by chance.
Ex. When studying drug use at CV, randomly choosing students (randomly generating a number, name, etc.)
Random Sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Ex. When studying drug use at CV, the students randomly selected to participate in the study.
Range
The difference between the highest and lowest score in a distribution.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. 10 - 2 = 8.
Replication
Repeating a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding can be reproduced.
Ex. A pill is being tested, multiple trials are run with different groups of people to make sure the results are accurate.
Single Blind
An experimental procedure in which the research participants are not aware of whether they have received the treatment or a placebo, but the researchers are.
Ex. A pill is being tested, the participants do not know who is given the real pill, but the researchers do.
Standard Deviation
A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.
Ex. 10, 2, 2, 2. SD is 4.
Statistical Significance
A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.
Ex. A study finds that a certain medication lowers the risk of getting a disease from 0.2% to 0.1% in a sample size of 30,000, the results are statistically significant.
Survey
A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported
Ex. A questionnaire handed out to students to see if CV has a drug problem.
Theory
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.
Ex. Natural selection, organisms best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
