Term
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Definition
| Finding out the unknown through testing, process definition, and accumulation of knowledge. |
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Term
| What are the 5 steps in the Scientific Method? |
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Definition
1. Develop a question or problem, and formulate a hypothesis.
2. Select the participants and the setting
3. Conduct experiment/study/observation and gather data.
4. Describe what the data says
5. Generalize the findings, how do the results fit into the larger picture/population? |
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Term
| What are the three goals of Behavioral Research? |
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Definition
1. To Describe - Focus primarily on describing patterns of behavior, thought or emotion. (ex. Survey researchers conduct large studies of randomly selected respondent to determine what people think feel and do.)
2. To Explain - Many researchers regard explanation as the most important goal of scientific research. Being able to explain why. (ex. why are certain prisoners violent and others are not?)
3. To Predict - Developing ways to predict job performance, school grades, or violent tendencies. Data is collected and analyzed to identify the best predictors of the target behavior. (ex. Standardized tests in order to identify students who might have learning difficulties in school.) |
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Term
| What is the primary goal of Basic Research? |
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Definition
Primary goal is to understand psychological processes without regard for whether or not the knowledge is immediately applicable.
(ex. Basic research involving brain function has led to the development of drugs that control symptoms of mental illness). |
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Term
| What is the primary goal of Applied Research? |
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Definition
Primary goal is to find solutions for certain problems rather than to enhance general knowledge.
Provides knowledge that enhances our basic knowledge.
(ex. such as employee morale, prejudice, or child abuse). |
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Term
| What is the primary goal of Evaluation Research? |
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Definition
| Uses behavioral research methods to access the effects of social or institutional programs on behavior. (ex. New educational programs-is it achieving its intended purpose? Why precisely it is working or not working.) |
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Term
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Definition
| Practice of relying on observation to draw conclusions about the world. |
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Term
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Definition
Statements or proposals about how the world works. They are ideas and are not fact!
(Ex. The phrase, "It's just a theory"). |
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Term
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Definition
| They are theoretical structures, smaller and narrower than theories. They are specific to something particular. |
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Term
| What do theories and models provide? |
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Definition
A way to organize information. They're "tools in the persuit of truth".
Organized statements about how the world works. |
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Term
| Where do research ideas come from? (Other than from previous research) |
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Definition
| From the researcher's own life. "Research can be me-search". |
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Term
| What are three different sources of hypotheses based from previous research? |
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Definition
1. A gap in knowledge
2. Contradictory results of a study
3. Explaining a finding or "fact" |
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Term
| What are characteristics of a good hypothesis? |
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Definition
They are testable. It is something we can measure and determine if it is true or false.
They are precise and simply stated.
They are consistent with previous research: They are not based on common sense.
It is "a prion": meaning they are made before the data is collected.
Are stated in a particular form: If....Then.... (Ex. Children who watch violent cartoons are more aggressive. -OR- If children watch violent cartoons then they will be more aggressive.) |
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Term
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Definition
| A hypothesis derived from a theory. "If this theory is correct, I would expect this to happen..." |
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Term
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Definition
A hypothesis derived from a collection of facts. Reasoning from specific cases and inducing a general principal.
(example: Primates and Language- The induction might be: Primates don't progress pas two word sentences "Want Banana".) |
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Term
| What are 5 different Research Designs? |
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Definition
1. Descriptive Research
2. Experimental Research
3. Correlational Research
4. Quasi-Experimental Research
5. Developmental Research |
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Term
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Definition
Describes the behavior, thoughts or feelings of a particular group of individuals.
(ex. public opinion polls). |
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Term
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Definition
Determining whether certain variables cause changes in behaviors, thought or emotion. The researcher changes or manipulates one variable to see whether changes in the behavior occur as a consequence.
(ex. Is Maternal behavior in rats caused by hormones? Researchers injected virgin rats with plasma blood from rats who had just given birth or plasma blood from rats who were not mothers. Rats injected with mother rat blood did show more maternal behavior). |
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Term
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Definition
Investigates the relationships among various psychological variables. The relationship is a correlation.
(ex. Is there a relationship between self-esteem and shyness?). |
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Term
| Quasi-Experimental Research |
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Definition
Trying to control groups but they may or may not be the same. Cannot be assigned ages.
(ex. high school students tested during 1987-88 school year and the same students again in 1988-99. Then compared those students who had started working during that time to those who did not take a job. As they had expected, even before starting to work, students who later became employed earned lower grades and had lower academic expectations than those who later did not work.) |
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Term
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Definition
| Studying people over time to determine development |
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