Research Methods

Question 1

basic research

Answer 1

driven by curiosity; for the sake of science

Question 2

examples of basic research

Answer 2

neuroscience, cognitive, developmental, social

Question 3

applied research

Answer 3

has a clear purpose

Question 4

examples of applied research

Answer 4

clinical, educational, forensic

Question 5

Why is psychological research important?

Answer 5

• reduces bias
• systematic

Question 6

scientific method

Answer 6

• theory
• hypothesis
• research
• support/refute theory

Question 7

What makes a good theory?

Answer 7

falsifiable: there is evidence to either support or refute the theory

Question 8

What makes a good hypothesis?

Answer 8

specific and testable

Question 9

population

Answer 9

everyone in the group that the experimenter is interested in

Question 10

sample

Answer 10

a subset of a population

Question 11

random assignment

Answer 11

assigning participants randomly to experimental conditions

Question 12

random sampling

Answer 12

every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 13

Why is random sampling important?

Answer 13

• eliminates the chance of third variables
• allows for generalization

Question 14

convenience sampling

Answer 14

consists of people who are conveniently available for the study

Question 15

correlational research design

Answer 15

measures how closely two factors/variables vary together

Question 16

variable

Answer 16

a property whose value can vary at any given time

Question 17

positive correlation

Answer 17

↑↑

Question 18

negative correlation

Answer 18

↑↓ or ↓↑

Question 19

zero correlation

Answer 19

one variable not predictably related to the other

Question 20

What is the range of correlational coefficients?

Answer 20

-1 to +1

Question 21

perfect negative correlation

Answer 21

-1

Question 22

perfect positive correlation

Answer 22

+1

Question 23

limitations of correlational studies

Answer 23

correlation ≠ causation

Question 24

benefits of correlational studies

Answer 24

• more ethical
• leads to more experiments

Question 25

experimental research design

Answer 25

an independent variable is systematically manipulated under controlled conditions and resulting changes in a dependent variable is observed

Question 26

independent variable (IV)

Answer 26

factor that is varied or manipulated

Question 27

dependent variable (DV)

Answer 27

the behavior that is measured and expected to change as a function of change in the IV

Question 28

control variables

Answer 28

variables that are kept the same across the two conditions

Question 29

experimental group

Answer 29

receives the treatment

Question 30

control group

Answer 30

does not receive the treatment

Question 31

limitations of experimental studies

Answer 31

* impractical or unethical * highly controlled lab settings make generalization difficult

Question 32

benefits of experimental studies

Answer 32

* can infer causation * precise control over variables

Question 33

quasi-experimental research design

Answer 33

a research design that is similar to experimental design but relies on existing group membership and not random assignment

Question 34

What is the IV and DV in quasi-experimental designs?

Answer 34

IV: group membership DV: performance in a cooperative situation

Question 35

example of a correlational design

Answer 35

non-academic Internet use vs. class performance

Question 36

How were the variables in the internet use vs. class performance study operationalized?

Answer 36

hours of Internet use and grades on final exam

Question 37

What were the experimental and control groups in Albert Bandura's bobo doll experiment?

Answer 37

experimental: watched an experimenter beat up a bobo doll control: did not watch an experimenter beat up a bobo doll

Question 38

What were the IV and DV in Albert Bandura's bobo doll experiment?

Answer 38

IV: non-aggressive or aggressive model DV: number of aggressive behaviors

Question 39

What theory resulted from the bobo doll experiment?

Answer 39

Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory: we mimic the behaviors we observe

Question 40

What was the IV and DV in the House Fire Study?

Answer 40

IV: nationality DV: who the person chose to save

Question 41

placebo effect

Answer 41

when receiving special treatment or something new leads to expectations that affect human behavior

Question 42

experimenter bias

Answer 42

when an experimenter's expectations influence the outcome of the study

Question 43

What two ways can experimenter bias manifest itself?

Answer 43

1. experimenters "see" what they want to see 2. experimenters behave or treat participants differently

Question 44

demand characteristics

Answer 44

when participants behave differently in a lab setting because they know they're being watched and change their behavior to fit the experiment's purpose

Question 45

What was the IV and DV in the elderly priming experiment?

Answer 45

IV: whether participants received a word scramble related to the elderly or not DV: timed to how fast they walked down the hall

Question 46

What were the biases in the original elderly priming experiment?

Answer 46

* experimenter bias * demand characteristics

Question 47

Are biases fatal in experiments?

Answer 47

No, because published work attempts to mitigate for these factors

Question 48

converging operations

Answer 48

a research strategy in which a variety of research techniques are used to investigate a research result