Chapter 4

Question 1

variable

Answer 1

a factor/characteristic that can vary

Question 2

scientific method

Answer 2

a basic series of steps designed to obtain and evaluate in a systematic way

Question 3

null hypothesis

Answer 3

the prediction that there is no relationship between the phenomena we are studying

Question 4

hypothesis

Answer 4

a testable statement about two or more variables and the relationship between them

Question 5

independent variable

Answer 5

a factor we can manipulate

Question 6

dependent variable

Answer 6

the “outcome” ( what changes because the independent changed)

Question 7

operalization

Answer 7

refers to the way we measure or manipulate the variables in a study

Question 8

ethical guidelines

Answer 8

1. understanding
2. confidentiality
3. right to refuse
4. informed consent
5. deception
6. debriefing

Question 9

operational definition

Answer 9

what and how you’re measuring (overall definition)

Question 10

case study

Answer 10

detailed description of one individual with a RARE disorder

Question 11

generalizability

Answer 11

the ability to apply what we have learned, to a bigger population

Question 12

continuous variable

Answer 12

measured along a continuum

Question 13

group comparison study

Answer 13

researchers are interested in the relationship between people’s membership in a particular group

Question 14

cross-sectional

Answer 14

observing people at one specific point in time

Question 15

longitudinal

Answer 15

observing people on two or more occasions over time

Question 16

correlation coefficient

Answer 16

a statistic used to represent the relationship between variables. can fall between -1.00 and +1.00

Question 17

statistical significance

Answer 17

how likely it is that the result occurred simply by chance (P<0.05)

Question 18

third variable problem

Answer 18

the possibility that variables not measured in a study are the real cause of the relationship between the variables being measured

Question 19

samples

Answer 19

a group of people taken from the population we want to study

Question 20

external validity

Answer 20

the extent to which a study’s results can be generalized to the wider population

Question 21

epidemiology

Answer 21

study of the frequency and distribution of a disorder in a population

Question 22

prevalence

Answer 22

the proportion of the population that has the disorder at a given point in time

Question 23

incident

Answer 23

the number of new cases of the disorder that develop during a certain time period

Question 24

risk factors

Answer 24

the conditions that are associated with a higher risk of having a disorder

Question 25

human laboratory study

Answer 25

expose participants to a stressor in the lab and determine if it increases the disorder being studied

Question 26

internal validity

Answer 26

changes in the dependent variable can confidently be attributed to our manipulation of the independent variable

Question 27

control group

Answer 27

participants have the same experiences but they don't receive the key manipulation (independent variable)

Question 28

experimental group

Answer 28

would receive the independent variable

Question 29

random assignment

Answer 29

each participant must have an equal chance of being in either group

Question 30

demand characteristics

Answer 30

situations that cause participants to guess the purpose of the study and can influence their behavior

Question 31

therapy outcome studies

Answer 31

experimental studies designed to test whether a specific therapy reduces psychopathology in individuals

Question 32

simple control group

Answer 32

consisting of participants who do not receive experimental therapy

Question 33

wait list control group

Answer 33

don't receive therapy when the experimental group does but are able to receive it at a later date

Question 34

placebo control group

Answer 34

same interactions as the experimental group but does not receive the medicine "fake"

Question 35

efficacy

Answer 35

how well it works for lab and clinical studies

Question 36

effectiveness

Answer 36

how well it works in the real world

Question 37

quasi experiment

Answer 37

when random assignment isn't possible

Question 38

matched controls

Answer 38

matching demographic variables but without the uncomfortable variable

Question 39

single case experimental design

Answer 39

a single individual or small number of individuals are studied intensively

Question 40

ABAB (reversal design)

Answer 40

a medicine is introduced, withdrawn, and reinstated while the behavior of the individual is examined on and off the treatment

Question 41

multiple baseline design

Answer 41

an intervention might be given to the same individual but in different settings or different points in time

Question 42

animal studies

Answer 42

studies to attempt to test theories of psychopathology using animals

Question 43

family history study

Answer 43

used to determine how genetic disorders work

Question 44

twin studies

Answer 44

used to find the contribution of genetics to many disorders by studying twins with and without same parents

Question 45

monozygotic

Answer 45

identical twins

Question 46

dizygotic

Answer 46

fraternal twins

Question 47

molecular genetic studies

Answer 47

search for associations between specific genetic abnormalities

Question 48

linkage analysis

Answer 48

narrowing down the location of the gene marker associated with a psychological disorder by looking for other characteristics that co-occur with the disorder

Question 49

meta analysis

Answer 49

summarizing results across several studies