PSYCH 1200 > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

define a theory.

A

an organized system of assumptions & principles that aims to explain certain phenomena & how they are related

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2
Q

define a hypothesis.

A

a testable prediction about processes that can be observed or measured

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3
Q

true or false: you can prove a hypothesis

A

false, you can only support it by disproving the opposite

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4
Q

define falsifiable.

A

possible to disprove

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5
Q

define operational definitions.

A

specifying how the concepts of the hypothesis are going to be observed & measured

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6
Q

what is important to use when creating operational definitions?

A

clear & precise terms

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7
Q

true or false: theories are not the same as opinions.

A

true; but opinions can turn into theories when properly researched & experimented

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8
Q

true or false: theories are equally plausible.

A

false; validity must be proven by science

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9
Q

what is the cycle of scientific research?

A

hypothesis > predictions w/ operational definitions > evidence > theory > a new hypothesis & on

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10
Q

define confirmation bias.

A

when you only pay attention to information that confirms your belief & ignore/reject evidence that contradicts it

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11
Q

define peer review.

A

having experts not involved in your experiment look it over to ensure it meets scientific standards

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12
Q

define replication.

A

repeating previous studies the exact same way to see if you get the same results, therefore proving/disproving the study

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13
Q

define a representative sample.

A

a group of individuals selected from a population for study; should be a perfect representation of the larger population

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14
Q

define a convenience sample.

A

a sample of people more easily available for studies; may not be totally accurate due to inaccurate representation; caution is required for drawing conclusions

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15
Q

define objective measurements.

A

a measure of entity or behavior that, w/ some room for error, is consistent across instruments & observers

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16
Q

define a variable.

A

the object, concept, or event being measured

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17
Q

define operational definitions.

A

statements that describe the operations, or specific measures that are used to record observations

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18
Q

define reliability.

A

when a measure provides consistent & stable answers across multiple observations & points in time

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19
Q

define retest reliability.

A

giving a sample the exact same test at different times & seeing if they get similar results

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20
Q

define alternate-forms reliability.

A

giving a test w/ the same format/procedure, but w/ different questions each time so that they cannot be predicted or memorized

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21
Q

define inter-rater reliability.

A

having more than one person take recordings at experimental trials so that the results are more likely to be accurate & free from bias

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22
Q

true or false: something can be valid but not reliable

A

false; however something can be reliable but not valid (eg scale that is 10lbs off)

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23
Q

define case studies.

A

detailed descriptions of particular individuals being studied/treated

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24
Q

true or false: the discoveries from case studies can be generalized to apply to everyone.

A

false; b/c a case study is only looking at one person, no findings can be generalized

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25
define observational studies.
a descriptive method where research systemically measures & records behavior w/out intruding on the people being observed
26
true or false: observational studies look at "what" is happening, not "how" it is happening
true; the first step in a program of research
27
define naturalistic observation.
finding out how animals & people act in their normal environments
28
define lab observation.
scientific observation that takes place in a lab; allows for more control & use of equipment but can lose subjects' authenticity
29
define an objective test.
measures beliefs, feelings, & behaviors
30
define a projective test.
can tap into unconscious feelings or motives (not as reliable)
31
define standardization.
uniform procedures for giving & scoring a test
32
when giving out a scientific test, what does the administer need to know?
how to explain it, how much time to give, & what materials to use
33
define norms.
preestablished standards of performance
34
define a survey.
a questionnaire/interview that asks people directly about their experiences, attitudes or opinions
35
define correlational research.
measuring the degree of association between two variables
36
what is correlation a synonym for?
"relationship"
37
define a correlation coefficient.
the statistic used to express the size & direction of a correlation
38
define uncorrelated.
when there is no relationship between variables
39
define magnitude.
the strength of the relationship between variables; goes from -1 to +1
40
what is considered a strong or weak correlation in psych studies?
strong: +/- 0.5 weak: +/- 0.3
41
define illusionary correlation.
relationships that exist in the mind but not in reality
42
define experimental research.
figuring out the causes of behavior by performing experiments
43
define an experimental group.
the group where the independent variable is being manipulated
44
define a control group.
the group where there is no manipulation of the independent variable
45
define random assignment.
a technique for dividing samples into two or more groups
46
define the independent variable.
the resumed cause; the aspect of an experiment that is being manipulated/varied
47
define the dependent variable.
the presumed effect of the independent variable
48
why do researchers try to keep everything constant & in control during an experiment?
so that the independent variable is the only thing being changed
49
define experimenter control.
manipulating the independent variable
50
define placebo.
a fake treatment that looks/tastes/smells like the real treatment; important for testing new drugs
51
define between-subjects design.
when participants in different groups are compared
52
define within-subjects design.
all participants experience all experimental conditions, swapping between control & experimental halfway through
53
define single blind & double blind studies.
single-blind: the participants do not know if they are in the control or experimental group double-blind: neither the experimenters or the participants know which group is which
54
define experimenter effects.
when the results of a study are affected by the expectations of the experimenters or participants
55
define descriptive statistics.
a set of techniques used to organize, summarize, & interpret data
56
define frequency.
the number of observations that fall w/in a certain category/range of scores
57
define central tendency.
a measure of the central point of distribution (use mean, median, and/or mode)
58
define variability.
the degree to which scores are dispersed in a distribution (lower variability = higher chance of the study being statistically correct)
59
define standard deviation.
a measure of the variability around the mean, or the average distance from the mean
60
define inferential statistics.
rigorously assessing potential differences or relationships in data; drawing conclusions
61
define significance tests.
tell the researchers how likely it is that the results of the study occurred by chance
62
define null hypothesis.
assumes that any differences between experimental groups are by chance
63
define experimental/alternative hypothesis testing.
assumes that any differences are due to the independent variable
64
what is the aim of alternative hypothesis testing?
to be able to reject the null & accept the alternative
65
define p-value
the probability that the null is true & the results are due to chance (want this value to be low b/c it means the experiment was successful)
66
true or false: statistical significance indicates practical significance
false; the study may not accurately represent the broader population & can't be used practically
67
define effect size.
calculates a value that indicates the degree of difference between groups; more nuanced than p-value
68
define cross-sectional studies.
comparing different groups of people at one time, often of different age groups
69
define longitudinal studies.
comparing the results of the same group at different points in time
70
define Research Ethics Board.
eg REB; a committee of researchers & officials at an institution charged w/ the protection of human research participants, esp important w/ experiments that expose participants to various manipulations & conditions
71
define informed consent.
the potential volunteer for a study must be informed of the purpose, tasks, & risks involved
72
define deception.
misleading or only partially informing participants of the true topic/hypothesis under investigation (must still give enough info for consent, and be justifiable)
73
define debriefing.
when researchers explain the true nature of the study, esp the reason for deception
74
list some reasons studies could be conducted on animals.
- to clarify theoretical questions - to improve human welfare - to discover practical applications for products - when treatments can't be applied to humans (eg looking at heritability)
75
what two things are important to balance when using animal research?
the potential benefits of the research & concern for animal wellbeing
PSYCH 1200
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