Ch. 2 Test - Research Methods in Psychology

A device that measures electrical activity in the brain.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

evidence based on observations of publicly observable phenomena that can be confirmed by others

Empirical Evidence

_______ is based on observations of publicly observable phenomena.

Empirical evidence

necessity for the benefits of humans, healthful treatment of the animal, humane treatment of the animal

Ethical treatment of animals in research

A study that tests casual hypothesis by measuring and manipulating variables.

Experiment

requirement that all explanations for differences in the dependent variable other differences than the independent variable are controlled in the way the formal experiment is set up

Experimental Control

The participants in a study that receive the intervention.

Experimental Group

the participants in an experiment who are interacting with the independent variable

Experimental group

potential influences on the dependent variable caused by the experimenter interacting differently with participants in the experimental and control groups

Experimenter Bias

Actual change in the behavior of the people or animals being observed that is due to observer bias.

Experimenter Expectation Effect

research that leads to conclusions of cause - effect relationships between variables

Formal experiments

a potential participant must not be forced or threatened to participant in a research experiment

Freedom from coercion (an ethical principle)

An imaging technique used to examine changes in the activity of the working human brain.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

A prediction based on tentative explanations of observations in science is called a

Hypothesis

A specific prediction of what should be observed in the world if a theory is correct.

Hypothesis

a precise and specific statement regarding what is being researched

Operational Definition

José and his research group are studying the effects of acculturation on first graders. To clarify what they mean by "acculturation" they need a specific ________ for the term.

Operational definition

Must remain constant throughout the experiment

Operational definition

A type of descriptive study in which the researcher is actively involved in the situation.

Participant Observer

one variable can be perfectly predicted if you know the value of the second variable

Perfect positive correlation

the example of a participant receiving a sugar pill to see if the effect is the same as the participant receiving the actual medication

Placebo

a 'fake' independent variable, measuring the accuracy of the independent variable being manipulated

Placebo effect

Everyone in the group the experimenter is interested in.

Population

when one variable increases in value in relation to another value's increase

Positive correlation

A method of brain imaging that assesses metabolic activity by using a radioactive substance injected into the bloodstream.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

The procedure for placing research participants into the conditions of the experiment in which each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any level of the independent variable.

Random Assignment

requirement in research that participants be assigned to experimental groups randomly rather than in some systematic way

Random Assignment

When the knowledge that one is being observed alters the behavior being observed.

Reactivity

The extent to which a measure is stable and consistent over time in similar conditions.

Reliability

Repetition of an experiment to confirm the results.

Replication

the process in which a study is repeated until reasonable confidence in the research results is achieved

Replication

Scientific process that involves the systematic and careful collection of data.

Research

A model of interconnected ideas and concepts that explains what is observed and makes predictions about future events.

Theory

A way of organizing related hypotheses

Theory

Several lab groups found a strong positive correlation between number of hours spent on campus and grades. What can you conclude from this information?

There is a numerical relationship between the two variables.

What does it mean when there is zero (0) correlation between two variables?

There is no statistical relationship

When the experimenter cannot directly manipulate the independent variable and therefore cannot be confident that another, unmeasured variable is not the actual cause of differences in the dependent variable.

Third Variable Problem

The use of strong magnets to briefly interrupt normal brain activity as a way to study brain regions.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

The extent to which the data collected address the research hypothesis in the way intended

Validity

In a set of numbers, how widely dispersed the values are from each other and from the mean.

Variability

Something in the world that can be measured and can vary.

Variable

Attitudes are relatively unstable

What does discourse analysis assume?

There is no relationship between variable X and variable Y

What does the null hypothesis state?

Arranging all scores in numerical order and finding the midpoint

What is the median calculated by?

A researcher finds that a person's height and weight are significantly positively correlated. Which interpretation below makes the most sense?

When a person tends to be tall, they tend to be heavy.

Rose participated in a study to test a medication for treating osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease. Half of the participants in that study received a pill containing the real medication and the other half received a pill that contained no active ingredients, i.e., no medication. Those who received the pill with no active ingredients were given

a placebo

Indicates the relation between two variables

a true statement about scatterplots

The extent to which an experimental measure is free from error.

accuracy

The text describes an experiment that explores the effects of media violence on 400 boys aged 6 to 8. Before playing floor hockey, 200 of the boys viewed a highly violent film and the other 200 boys viewed a nonviolent film. When all of the boys later played floor hockey, observers counted the number of aggressive acts performed by each boy. The dependent variable in this experiment was the...

aggressive behavior of boys

The text describes an experiment that explores the effects of media violence on 400 boys aged 6 to 8. Before playing floor hockey, 200 of the boys viewed a highly violent film and the other 200 boys viewed a nonviolent film. When all of the boys later played floor hockey, observers counted the number of aggressive acts performed by each boy. The dependent variable in this experiment was the

aggressive behavior of the boys

A nonhuman animal experiment meets the condition of necessity when the research significantly advances our understanding of _______________.

behavior or mental processes

____________ minimize experimenter bias in formal research studies.

blind experiments

A range of experimental techniques that make brain structures and brain activity visible.

brain imaging

A danger in using the correlational strategy is that one might attribute _________ between two events.

causation

Correlation does not necessarily mean _____________

causation

Rather than recording data from a study that is linked to the participant's names, the researchers arranged to give each participant a random number. Only the participant knows his or her random number, and these numbers are not connected to the participant's identity in any way. This procedure of conducting a study helps to ensure

confidentiality

Which of the following would be an operational definition designed to measure the amount of violence on television?

continuing the number of homicides that occur on a TV show

Permits a contrast between manipulating the independent variable and no treatment

control group

The members of a ______ receive the independent variable in an experiment.

control group

A psychologist is studying the effects that different noise levels have on stress. Noise levels are considered the ___________

correlation

The degree of association between variables is expressed statistically as the....

correlation coefficient

The goal of __________ research is to show the degree of relationship between two variables.

correlational

A kind of research in which the researcher controls all of the conditions and directly manipulates the conditions, including the manipulated variable (independent variable.

experiment

The text describes an experiment that explores the effects of media violence on 400 boys aged 6 to 8. Before playing floor hockey, 200 of the boys viewed a highly violent film and the other 200 boys viewed a nonviolent film. When all of the boys later played floor hockey, observers counted the number of aggressive acts performed by each boy. The boys in this experiment who viewed the violent film were in the ________ group.

experimental

Researchers who act differently toward some participants are engaging in ______

experimenter bias

When _____________ takes place, it means that the experimenter influenced the performance of the participants.

experimenter bias

Successful replication means that certain conclusions about behavior have been repeated in ________

experiments.

A __________ compares quantitative measures in relation to the conditions created by researchers.

formal experiment

Bill wants to find the best way to draw conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships. Which research method should he use?

formal experiment

Uri wants to find the best way to draw conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships. Which research method should he use?

formal experiment

If a student is required to participate in a research study, in order to pass a course, this a violation of the ethical principle of ____

freedom of coercion

In working with nonhuman animals, ______ refers to the concept of minimizing the discomfort of animals, such as performing surgeries under adequate anesthesia.

human treatment

A prediction based on tentative explanations of observations in science is called _____________

hypothesis

Naturalistic observation describes a research technique in which careful observation and recording of behavior occurs

in real life settings

In an experiment, the factors that are manipulated by the experimenter are known as _______ variables.

independent

The variable that the researcher controls is called the...

independent variable

Before participating in research, potential participants must receive a full description of the experiment, demonstrating the ethical principle of ___

informed consent

Ahmad takes a test in his psychology class. The professor adds up the scores that each student got on the test, then divides that sum by the total number of students who took the test. When the professor tells the class what the "average grade" was on the test, the professor is referring to which statistic?

mean

Ahmad takes a test in his psychology class. The professor adds up the scores that each student got on the test, then divides that sum by the total number of students who took the test. When the professor tells the class what the "average grade" was on the test, the professor is referring to which statistic?

mean score

The middle point in a set of numbers

median

When anthropologist Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees in Africa, she carefully watched and recorded their behavior. She used which research method?

naturalist observation

The clinical method is a variation of

naturalistic observation

When anthropologist Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees in Africa, she carefully watched and recorded their behavior. She used which research method?

naturalistic observation

Nancy has found that when she spends a lot of time going to movies with her friends, she does not do well in school. This demonstrates a...

negative correlation

Yeh has found that when she spends a lot of time going to movies with her friends, she does not do well in school. This demonstrates a ____________

negative correlation

In a double blind study, who knows about the details of the study?

neither the experimenter or the participant

In a correlational study which of the following is true?

no variables can be manipulated

José and his research group are studying the effects of acculturation on first graders. To clarify what they mean by "acculturation" they need a specific ________ for the term.

operational definition

Science requires that the subject matter be

orderly and lawful.

Under the ethical guideline of freedom from coercion, participants are free to change their minds and withdraw from an experiment without ____________, even after the experiment has begun.

penalty

If two variables have a ___________, one variable can be perfectly predicted if you know the value of the second variable.

perfect positive correlation

Frieda participated in a study to test a medication for treating osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease. Half of the participants in that study received a pill containing the real medication and the other half received a pill that contained no active ingredients, i.e., no medication. Those who received the pill with no active ingredients were given...

placebo

In a drug study, sometimes the pill with an inert substance (such as a sugar pill) may have an unintended effect. This is called the _______

placebo effect

If criminal activity were found to increase as temperatures increase, researchers could conclude that there is a ________ correlation to crime and temperature.

positive

In a correlational study, variable A is found to generally increase in value as variable B increases. The two variables have a _______ correlation.

positive

The key component of empirical evidence this that it must be based on _____ behavior.

publicly observable

A researcher has 40 people to assign into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The researcher flips a coin: heads, experimental group and tails, control group. This is an example of

random assignment

The correlational method studies the __________ between two variables.

relationship

Clara hoped that other researchers would be able to get the same results she did in her experiment, which would provide more support for her findings. Therefore, she was extremely careful in laying out the steps of her research project so that, in scientific terms, the other researchers could _______ her study.

replicate

In order to be accepted, research results must be __________

replicated

According to chapter 2, in order to be valid a sample must be...

representative

According to the textbook, in order to be valid, a sample must be ____________

representative

When observing nature, all scientists follow strict ______

rules

The correlation coefficient is more convenient than which of the following?

showing scatterplots of scores

A measure that indicates the degree to which socres are spread out in a distribution

standard deviation

Practical significance is different than _________significance.

statistical

An important issue to bear in mind when interpreting tests of statistical significance is that...

statistical significance does not equal practical significance

An important issue to bear in mind when interpreting tests of statistical significance is that

statistical significance does not equal practical significance.

A psychology student wants to find mor information about text anxiety. She constructs a 'test anxiety questionaire' and gives it to other students, This is an example of a ...

survey method

In a research study participants recorded the number of cigarettes smoked per day. "Number of cigarettes" smoked per day is referred to as a ____

variable

Participants may not be representative of the population as a wholev

Drawbacks for a single case research study

Participant expectations will not affect the results

"single blind study"

Which correlation coefficient shows the strongest relationship between two variables? A) -.85 B) +.80 C) 0.00 D) +.15

+.80

A correlation coefficient shows the strongest relationship between two variables if it has a _____ rather than a -.18 or a +.85 (p.31-32, Lahey)

-.85

All animal research must comply with the __________ to ensure that it complies with the law and is carried out in an ethical and human manner.

ABC's of Laboratory Research

in depth study of a person's behaviors, thoughts, and mental processes

Advantage of a clinical research method

allows researchers to understand the strength of relationships between two variables

Advantage of correlational studies

allows researchers to understand cause / effect relationships

Advantage of formal experiments

allows observation of behavior in its natural context, not in a laboratory

Advantage of naturalistic observation

results can college a great deal of inforamtion in a short amount of time

Advantage of survey research method

To determine whether results are statistically significant, what might the experimenter do?

Calculates the likelihood that the difference in mean scores was caused by chance

examination of one person.

Case Study

the outcome of formal experiments

Cause / effect

A measure that represents the typical behavior of the group as a whole

Central Tendency

observing people when they are receiving help from a mental health professional for personal problems

Clinical observation

research participants must be be assured of their anonymity

Confidentiality

Anything that affects a dependent variable and may unintentionally vary between the experimental conditions of a study.

Confound

If a researcher assigns participants randomly to the various groups used in an experiment which of the following will apply?

Confounding of participant variables is less likely

The participants in a study that receive no intervention or an intervention different from the one being studied.

Control Group

the participants in an experiment who are not interacting with the independent variable, being used as comparison to the experimental group

Control group

provides a standard mathematical method of measuring the strength of the relationship between two variables

Correlation Coefficient

a research conclusion that there is no relationship between two variables

Correlation coefficient of zero

A research method that examines how variables are naturally related in the real world, without any attempt by the researcher to alter them.

Correlational Study

seeking to establish a relationship between two variables in a research project

Correlational methods

research that describes, in statistical terms, systematic relations between 'quantitatively' measured variables

Correlational research method

DO NOT reach conclusions of cause - effect relationships between variables, but the strength of a relationship

Correlational studies

A research method that compares participants in different groups (e.g. young and old) at the same time

Cross Sectional Study

Studies that take into account the ways culture affects thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Culturally Sensitive Study

Objective observations or measurements.

Data

when a researcher provides the results of the study to all participants

Debriefing (an ethical principle)

the outcome of a formal experiment, measuring the effect of manipulating an independent variable

Dependent Variable

In an experiment, the measure that is affected by manipulation of the independent variable.

Dependent Variables

Overall summary of data.

Descriptive Statistics

A research method that involves observing and noting the behavior of people or other animals in order to provide a systematic and objective analysis of behavior.

Descriptive Studies

the most simple purpose and outcome of any research method

Descriptive method

Formal experiments compare quantitative measures of behavior under_____ ________

Differing conditions

When researchers find a relationship between two variables in a correlational study, they cannot determine which variable may have caused changes in the other variable.

Directionality Problem

the research represents tow small of a sample size to be representative

Disadvantage of a clinical research method

correlations do not prove cause / effect relationships

Disadvantage of correlational studies

artificial settings for the experiment, which may miss real life settings practical for the conclusion

Disadvantage of formal experiments

observers may influence the 'natural settings'

Disadvantage of naturalistic observation

the accuracy of information may be questionable

Disadvantage of survey research method

both researcher and participants being unaware of the condition of the independent variable

Double blind

Manipulated by the experimenter

Independent Variable

The condition that is manipulated by the experimenter to examine its impact on the dependent variable.

Independent Variable

the factor in a formal experiment that is manipulated to measure the outcome of the manipulation

Independent Variable

A set of procedures used to make judgments about whether differences actually exist between sets of numbers.

Inferential Statistics

potential participants must receive a full description of the experiment before agreeing to the experiment

Informed consent (an ethical principle)

Groups of people responsible for reviewing propsed research to ensure that it meets the accepted standards of science and provides for the physical and emotional well-being of research participants.

Institutional Review Boards

identifying a testing hypothesis, following rules of evidence, systematic observation

Key Components of Scientific Method

A research method that measures the same participants multiple times.

Longitudinal Studies

A method of brain imaging that produces high-quality images of the brain.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A measure of central tendency that is the arithmetic average of a set of numbers.

Mean

the average of all collected statistics

Mean

A measure of central tendency that is the value in a set of numbers that fall exactly halfway between the lowest and highest values.

Median

the middle point in a set of numbers

Median

A "study of studies" that combines the findings of multiple studies to arrive at a conclusion.

Meta - Analysis

A measure of central tendency that is the most frequent score or value in a set of numbers.

Mode

the most frequently appearing score

Mode

A passive descriptive study in which observers do not change or alter ongoing behavior.

Naturalistic Observation

an unobtrusive method of observing behavior in real life settings

Naturalistic observation

A research method of careful and systematic assessment and coding of overt behavior.

Observational Technique

Systematic errors in observation that occur because of an observer's expectations.

Observer Bias

A research method in which researchers quantify perceptual or cognitive processes in response to a specific stimulus.

Response Performance

If the results of an experiment are statistically significant, what may we conclude?

Results were probably not due to chance

A subset of a population.

Sample

A graphical depiction of the relationship between two variables.

ScatterPlot

What is the relationship between the scientific method and critical thinking?

Science is critical thinking

A systematic procedure of observing and measuring phenomena to answer questions about what happens, when it happens, what causes it, and why.

Scientific Method

testing the hypothesis, following the rules of evidence (despite any prejudice by the experimenter), systematic observation, analysis of data, following the conclusion

Scientific Method

What method of gathering information involves systematic observation, adhering to strict rules of evidence, and thinking critically about that evidence?

Scientific method

When participants in different groups in an experiment differ systematically.

Selection Bias

A method of data collection in which people are asked to provide information about themselves, such as in questionnaires or surveys.

Self-Report Method

A statistical measure of how far away each value is, on average, from the mean.

Standard Deviation

a measure of dispersion of scores in the research results

Standard Deviation

a measure that indicates the degree to which scores are spread out in a distribution

Standard Deviation

a given correlation is likely significant if the sample size is larger

Statistical Significance

Concerning the American Psychological Association's ethical guidelines concerning the use of nonhuman animals for research ....

Such research is ethical only when necessary to significantly advance the understanding of human or animal behavior and mental processes.

Which statement concerning the American Psychological Association's ethical guidelines concerning the use of nonhuman animals for research is correct?

Such research is ethical only when necessary to significantly advance the understanding of human or animal behavior and mental processes.

a research method using interviews and questionaires

Survey Method

Descriptive methods that involve asking questions of groups, who are representative of the entire population

Surveys

What method of gathering information involves systematic observation, adhering to strict rules of evidence, and thinking critically about that evidence?

The Scientific Method

The American Psychological Association's ethical guidelines for research with human participants allow deception in aspects of the study that do not influence the decision to participate. What is the other condition concerning deception in research?

The nature of the deception must be fully revealed to participants immediately after their participation in the experiment.

The Department of Motor Vehicles recently completed a study that indicated there is a negative correlation between the age of the driver and the number of errors on the written driving test. This result means that

The older the driver, the fewer errors on the driving test

Why does the U.S. National Institutes of Health require research to involve human subjects of both sexes and members of different racial and cultural groups whenever possible?

The rule will help us determine whether sex and/or cultural differences exist with regard to key research findings.

Variables of interest cannot be altered by the researchers

When do researchers use correlational studies?

At the end of their participation or the end of the experiment

When should research subjects receive a debriefing?

When a researcher provides the results of their study to all participants, they are following the ethical principle of __________

debriefing

In a formal experiment, the variable that the experimenter measures is the ________ variable.

dependent

A psychologist studied the effect of blood alcohol driving behavior. In this study the driving behavior was the _____

dependent variable

The dependent variable is called dependent because its value ______ other parts of the experiment.

depends on

Of all the research methods described in the text, the ___ is the simplest method.

descriptive

Research methods 'survey technique' and 'naturalistic observation' both are _________ in nature.

descriptive

Surveys, naturalistic observations, and the clinical method represent which type of scientific inquiry?

descriptive

The survey method is an example of a _________ study.

descriptive

Surveys, naturalistic observations, and the clinical method represent which type of scientific inquiry?

descriptive studies

The Zoology Department's guest speaker should have counterbalanced his experiment. How should he have presented the models of predators?

different orders to different birds

evidence from observation of public phenomena describes _________

empircal data

Evidence gathered from publicly observable behavior is known as ______ evidence.

empirical

After learning that people who respond to surveys may not be providing answers that are completely honest, Monty asks Professor Duran why surveys would be used. Professor Duran advises Monty that the primary advantage of the survey method is that

survey research allows a lot of information to be gathered in a relatively short period of time.

After learning that people who respond to surveys may not be providing answers that are completely honest, Monty asks Professor Duran why surveys would be used. Professor Duran advises Monty that the primary advantage of the survey method is that...

survey research gathers info in a relatively short period of time.

The most common measure of central tendency, but the median is more representative

the mean

Why does the U.S. National Institutes of Health require research to involve human subjects of both sexes and members of different racial and cultural groups whenever possible?

the rule will help us determine whether sex and/or cultural differences exist with regard to key research findings.

Which of the following statements about standard deviation is true?

the square root of the variance

Dr. Carr needs a lot of information directly from people and has only one week to collect that information. Dr. Carr would probably benefit most by using

the survey method