2-1 Vocabulary
hypothesis
an educated guess about the relationship between two variables
variable
any factor that is capable of change
survey
research method that involves an intensive investigation of one or more participants
naturalistic observation
research method in which the psychologist observes the participant in a natural setting without interfering
case study
research method that involves an intensive investigation of one or more participants
control group
the group of participants that is treated in the same way as the experimental group except that the experimental treatment (independent variable) is not applied
experimental group
the group of participants to which an independent variable is applied
correlation
the measure of a relationship between two variables or sets of data
sample
the small group of participants, out of the total number available, that a researcher studies
cross-sectional study
research method in which data is collected about a group of participants of different ages and compared so that conclusions can be drawn about differences due to age
longitudinal study
research method in which data is collected about a group of participants over a number of years to assess how certain characteristics change and remain the same during development