Psychology Set 2

Hawthorne Effect

Being selected to be in a group of people to participate in an experiment will affect the performance of that group, regardless of what is done to those individuals. Just selecting a sample of people and including them in an experiment will affect performance of the sample. Control groups help to control for this

Naturalistic Observation

Research method that involves observing participants in their natural habitats without interacting with the,. The goal is to get a realistic and rich picture of the participants' behavior. Cannot establish cause and effect relationships between variables.

Experimenter Bias

The unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis. It is not a conscious act. If researchers purposely distort their data, it is called fraud. Using a double-blind procedure can eliminate experimenter bias.

Descriptive Statistics

Ways of describing a set of data. Measures of control tendency are a common descriptive statistic. Use the mean, median, and mode.

Normal Curve

A bell-shaped curve that represents a distribution of scores that is normally disputed.

Scatter Plot

A graph of correlated data. Graphs pairs of values, one on the y-axis and one on the x-axis. The closer the points come to falling on a straight line, the stronger the correlation. A line that slopes upward, from the left to the right, indicates a positive correlation. A downward slop evidences of a negative correlation

Random Assignment

A method o assignment participants to conditions such that each participant has an equal chance of being placed into experimental groups. The process by which participants are put into either an experimental or a control group. Limits the effects of confounding variables based on differences between people. It diminishes the chance that participants in the two groups differ in any meaningful way.

Random Selection

A method of selecting a sample from a population. Every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected. Increases the likelihood that the sample represents the population and that one can generalize the findings to the larger population.

Stratified Sampling

A process that allows a researcher to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria.

Case Study

A research method use to get a full, detailed picture of one participant or a small group of participants. Allows researchers to get the richest possible pictures of what they are studying, but the focus on a single individual or small group means that the findings cannot be generalized to a larger population.

Correlation

A statistical measure of a relationship between two variables. Correlation does not imply causation: just because two variables are correlated does not mean that one variable cases the other. Can be either positive or negative. A positive ________ between two variables means that the presence of one variable predicts the presence of the other. A negative_________ means that the presence of one variable predicts the absence of the other.

Measures of Variability

A type of descriptive statistical measure that attempts to depict the diversity of the distribution. Range, variance, and standard deviation

Confounding Variables

Any difference between the experimental and control conditions, except for the independent variable, that might affect the dependent variable. An experiment allows the researcher to manipulate the independent variable and control for confounding variables.

APA Ethical Guidelines for Human Research

Any type of academic research must first propose the study to the ethics board or institutional review board at the institution. Coercion Informed consent Anonymity/confidentiality Lack of risk Debriefing procedures

APA Ethical Guidelines for Animal Research

Have a clear scientific purpose Care for and house animals in a humane way Acquires animal subjects legal Design experimental procedures that employ the least amount of suffering feasible.

Survey Method

Involves asking people to fill out surveys. Often used to gather opinions or attitudes and for correlational research. Response rate refers to the proportion of a surveyed group who respond to and return a survey.

Double-Blind Procedure

Method followed such that neither the participants not the researcher are aware of who is in the experimental or control groups while the experiment is going in. Control for both experimental bias and participant bias.

Statistical Significance

Scientists have decided that 5% is the cutoff for statistically significant results. This means that in a statistically significant experimental results, there is less than a 5% chance that the results occurred by chance. Researchers use inferential statistics to determine whether results are statistically significant

Inferential Statistics

Statistics that can determine whether or not findings can be applied to the larger population from which the sample was selected. Related to the concept of statistical significance.

Participant Bias (Response Bias)

Tendency for subjects to behave in certain ways based on their perception of an experiment. Can be controlled for using a single-blind procedure or a double-blind procedure.

Population

The group from which a sample is selected. Includes anyone or anything that could possibly be selected to be in the sample. The goal in selecting a sample is that it represents a larger population

Sampling

The individuals on whom the research is conducted are called participants (or subjects), and the process by which participants are selected is called this. Identify the population from which this will be selected. The population includes anyone or anything that could possibly be selected to be in it. The goal in selecting is that it represents the larger population.

Experiment

The only research method that can show a causal relationship. Allows the researcher to manipulate the independent variable and control for confounding variables. These compare at least two groups: an experimented group and a control group that differ based on the independent variable.

Assignment

The process by which participants are put into either an experimental or a control group. Random ________ means that each participant has an equal chance of being placed into any group. It limits the effects of confounding variables based on differences between people.