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Intro to Psych
Conducting Research in Psychology
44
Psychology
Undergraduate 2
10/12/2009

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Term
Scientific method
Definition
the procedures by which scientists conduct research, consisting of 5 basic processes: observation, prediction, testing, interpreting and communicating
Term
Theory
Definition
a set of related assumptions from which scientists can make testable predictions
Term
Hypothesis
Definition
a specific informed and testable prediction of the outcome of a particular set of conditions in a research design
Term
Replication
Definition
the repetition of a study to confirm the results; essential to the scientific process
Term
Pseudoscience
Definition
claims presented as scientific that are not supported by evidence obtained w/ the scientific method
Term
Research design
Definition
plans of action for how to conduct a scientific study
Term
Variable
Definition
a characteristic that changes or “varies,” such as age, gender, weight, intelligence, anxiety, and extraversion
Term
Population
Definition
the entire group a researcher is interest in; for example, all humans, all adolescents, all boys, all girls, all college students
Term
Samples
Definition
subsets of the population studied in a research project
Term
Social desirability bias
Definition
the tendency toward favorable self-presentation that could lead to inaccurate self-reports
Term
Descriptive designs
Definition
study designs in which the researcher defines a problem and variable of interest but makes no prediction and does not control or manipulate anything
Term
Case study
Definition
a study design in which a psychologist, often a therapist, observes one person over a long period of time
Term
Naturalistic obeservation
Definition
a study in which the researcher unobtrusively observes and records behavior in the real world
Term
Representative sample
Definition
a research sample that accurately reflects the population of ppl one is studying
Term
Correlation designs
Definition
studies that measure two or more variables and their relationship to one another not designed to show causation
Term
Correlation coefficient
Definition
a statistic ranges from -1.0 to +1.0 and assess the strength and direction of association b/w 2 variables
Term
Experiment
Definition
a research design that includes independent and dependent variables and random assignment of participants to control and experimental groups or conditions
Term
Independent variable
Definition
a property that is manipulated by the experimenter under controlled conditions to determine whether it causes the predicted outcome of and experiment
Term
Dependent variable
Definition
- in an experiment, the outcome or response to the experimental manipulation
Term
Random Assignment
Definition
the method used to assign participants to different research conditions so that all participants have the same chance of being in any specific group
Term
Experimental group
Definition
a group consisting of those participants who will receive the treatment or whatever is predicted to change behavior
Term
Control group
Definition
a group of research participants who are treated in exactly the same manner as the experimental group, except that they do not receive the independent variable or treatment
Term
Placebo
Definition
a substance or treatment that appears identical to the actual treatment but lacks the active substance
Term
Confounding variable
Definition
variable whose influence on the dependent variable cannot be separated from the independent variable being examined
Term
Single blind studies
Definition
studies in which participants do not know the experimental condition (group) to which they have been assigned
Term
Double blind studies
Definition
studies in which the participants nor the researches administering the treatment know who has been assigned to the experimental or control group
Term
Experimenter expectancy effects
Definition
- result that occurs when the behavior of the participants is influenced by the experimenter’s knowledge of who is in the control group and who is in the experimental group
Term
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Definition
a statement that affects events to cause the prediction to become true
Term
Meta-analysis
Definition
research and statistical technique for combining all research results on one question and drawing a conclusion
Term
Effect size
Definition
a measure of the strength of the relationship b/w two variables or the magnitude of an experimental effect
Term
Quasi-experimental design
Definition
- research method similar to an experimental design except that it makes use of naturally occurring groups rather than randomly assigning subjects to groups
Term
Self-reports
Definition
- written or oral accounts of a person’s thoughts, feelings, or actions
Term
Behavioral measures
Definition
measures based on systematic observation of ppl’s actions either in their normal environment or in a laboratory setting
Term
Physiological measures
Definition
measures of bodily responses, such as blood pressure or heart rate, used to determine changes in psychological state
Term
Multiple measurement
Definition
the use of several measures to acquire data on one aspect of behavior
Term
Statistics
Definition
collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of numerical data
Term
Descriptive statistics
Definition
measures used to describe and summarize research data
Term
Mode
Definition
a statistic that represents the most commonly occurring score or value
Term
Mean
Definition
the arithmetic average of a series of numbers
Term
Median
Definition
the score that separates the lower half of the scores from the upper half
Term
Standard deviation
Definition
a statistical measure of how much scores in a sample vary around the mean
Term
Ethics
Definition
the rules governing the conduct of a person or group in general or in a specific situation—or more simply, standards of right and wrong
Term
Debriefing
Definition
the explanation of the purposes of a study following data collection
Term
Institutional review boards
Definition
organizations that evaluate research proposals to make sure research involving humans does not cause undue harm or distress
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