midterm cogs 14a 2nd

COGS 14A Midterm 2 Flashcards

Steps in Research

• What is the first step in research?
  Identify a topic.

• At what step do you consider ethics, validity, and limitations?
  Design the study.

• What is the final step in research?
  Communicate results.

• What is the purpose of a pilot study?
  To find potential problems before conducting full research.

Validity & Research Design

• Laboratory experiments generally have low ______ validity.
  Ecological validity.

• What type of validity is concerned with generalizing findings outside the experiment?
  External validity.

• A WEIRD sample can be an issue with what type of validity?
  External validity.

• What does WEIRD stand for?
  Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic.

APA Paper Structure

• Where in an APA paper can you find the theoretical importance?
  Introduction.

• Where can you find details about the study design?
  Methods section.

Key Research Terms

• What is an operational definition?
  An assigned observable behavior that is a proxy for a theoretical construct.

• What is a confederate in an experiment?
  An experimenter acting as a participant.

• What is a case study?
  Examining individuals with rare conditions.

Research Methods

• What is the best-fitting unit of analysis for neuroscience?
  Neurons.

• What fields use experimentation as a method?
  Psychology, Linguistics, Neuroscience.

Non-Experimental Research Methods

• What type of research method observes subjects in their natural state?
  Field studies.

• What is a disadvantage of non-experimental methods?
  Cannot make causal inferences.

Experimental Research Methods

• What method quantifies the onset or duration of a cognitive operation?
  Reaction time.

• What does an EEG measure?
  Electrical activity in the brain.

• What is the primary advantage of MEG over EEG?
  Better spatial resolution.

• Why must MEG be conducted in a shielded room?
  To prevent interference from Earth’s magnetic field.

• What is a disadvantage of PET scans?
  Poor temporal resolution.

• What technique uses the BOLD signal?
  fMRI.

• What makes TMS unique?
  It induces electrical current in neurons.

Ethical Considerations

• What document established the first protocol for human research ethics?
  Nuremberg Code.

• What principle does deception in research conflict with?
  Respect for persons - informed consent.

• What principle was most violated in the Henrietta Lacks case?
  Respect for persons.

• What committee oversees human research ethics?
  Institutional Review Board (IRB).

• What committee oversees animal research?
  Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

Statistical Concepts

• The average value in a population is called a…
  Parameter.

• The average value in a sample is called a…
  Statistic.

• What type of data has equal intervals but no true zero?
  Interval data.

• What type of data has a true zero?
  Ratio data.

• What type of statistical test is used for nominal data?
  Chi-squared test.

• What type of statistical test compares means of two groups?
  t-test.

• What statistical test is used for comparing more than two groups?
  ANOVA.

Data Analysis

• What measure of central tendency is affected by outliers?
  Mean.

• If a dataset has extreme outliers, what is the best measure of central tendency?
  Median.

• What is the typical amount that scores differ from the mean called?
  Standard deviation.

• If a dataset has a long right tail, it is ______ skewed.
  Positively skewed.

• If a dataset has a long left tail, it is ______ skewed.
  Negatively skewed.

• What type of correlation exists if both variables increase together?
  Positive correlation.

• What type of correlation exists if one variable increases while the other decreases?
  Negative correlation.

• What does Pearson’s correlation coefficient measure?
  Strength and direction of a linear relationship.

• What correlation coefficient value indicates no relationship?
  0.

• Which r-value is the weakest: +0.68, +0.33, -0.49, -0.81?
  +0.33.

Observational vs Experimental Studies

• What is an advantage of observational studies?
  Can study variables that cannot be manipulated.

• What is a disadvantage of observational studies?
  Cannot establish causation.

• What is the third variable problem?
  A third variable influences both the independent and dependent variables.

Miscellaneous

• What Boolean search operator ensures both terms appear in results?
  AND.

• What type of data can be counted but not divided into smaller units?
  Discrete data.

• What type of data can take any value within a range?
  Continuous data.

• What is a nuisance variable?
  An uncontrolled variable that adds variability.

• What effect do nuisance variables have on a study?
  Increase variability.

• What kind of statistical analysis predicts outcomes from multiple variables?
  Multiple regression.

• What must researchers do when deception is used in a study?
  Explain it in debriefing.

• What type of analysis finds the line of best fit?
  Linear regression.

• What does a high standard deviation indicate?
  Greater spread in the data.

• Can non-experimental research methods determine causation?
  No.

This is the complete set of notes for COGS 14A Midterm 2. Good luck! 🚀