Psychology Topic 5

a relationship between the two variables, not that one of the variables causes the other one.

A correlation between two variables states only that there is

the entire group of people researchers want to draw conclusions about

A population is

replicated again and again and yields similar findings

A research finding is considered reliable when a study has been

variables

Another challenge in survey construction is that when questionnaires are used to operationally define

Field

Area of which you observe

research variables that cannot be manipulated.

Even with the risk of a third variable, correlational studies are important, because they allow us to

Anecdotal evidence

Evidence that cannot be investigated using the scientific method

systematic

For observations to be effective, they must be

systematic

For observations to be effective, they must be ____ Researchers must know what they are looking for, who they are observing, where and when observations will take place, and how observations will be made.

Clever Hans

Horse that was claimed to have been able to perform arithmetic and other intellectual tasks

behavior to change.

If the behavior changes when one of the variables is manipulated, then the manipulated variable is considered to have caused the

experimental methods

If there is a relationship between two variables, the researcher must use WHAT to determine the direction of the causality.

double-blind experiment

In a ____, neither the participants nor the experimenter know which group has received the treatment.

experiment

In an ____ the researcher manipulates one of the variables to see if it influences the behavior in question.

independent variable / dependent variable

In an experiment the ______ is manipulated by the researcher and its effects on the _____ are measured.

independent variable / dependent variable

In an experiment, the ____ is conceptualized as the "cause" and the _____ is conceptualized as the "effect. "

control

In an experiment, the group that is NOT subjected to a treatment condition is known as the _____ group.

data analysis

One of the key aspects of testing a hypothesis is

Falsifiable

Proposition must be possible to make an observation that would show the proposition to be false, even if that observation has not actually been made

obtain a random sample

Randomly choosing a group of 50 students from a roster of all students in a school and inviting them to participate in a study would be an example of one way to ____.

data analysis

This applies mathematical procedures to understand what the data mean.

survey

This can either be unstructured and open ended, or they can be structured and more specific

Descriptive research

This type of research involves finding out about the basic dimensions of some variable

random assignment

USED BY Researchers by dividing a study's participants randomly into two different groups.

Descriptive Statistics

Used to describe or summarize sets of data to make them more understandable

Correlational research

____is so named because of the statistical technique, that is typically used to analyze these type of data.

Data

a collection of measurements

Convenience sampling

a non-probability sampling technique where subjects are selected because of their convenient accessibility and proximity to the researcher.

Theory

a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained

Data Collection

a term used to describe a process of preparing and collecting statistical data

Determinism

a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws

Objectivity

all sources of bias are minimized and that personal or subjective ideas are eliminated

Descriptive research

allows researchers to get a sense of something but cannot answer questions about how and why things are the way they are

Confounding variable

an extraneous variable in a statistical model that correlates (positively or negatively) with both the dependent variable and the independent variable.

hypothesis

an idea that is arrived at logically from a theory.

Self-Report

any test, measure, or survey that relies on the individual's own report of their symptoms, behaviors, beliefs or attitudes

variable

anything that can change

Demand characteristics

are any aspects of a study that communicate to the subject how the researcher wants them to behave.

data

are the information collected in a study

random sample

as a way to more closely resemble the population, a researcher uses a

Correlational studies

can be used when researchers are interested in everyday experience

survey

consists of questions about a person's self-reported attitudes or beliefs about a topic.

Construct

explanatory variable which is not directly observable

Descriptive research

involves investigating the parameters of a variable

Descriptive research

is about describing some phenomenon—determining its basic dimensions and defining what this thing is, how often it occurs, and so on

placebo

is an innocuous, inert substance that has no effect on the behavior of the participants. However, participants are kept unaware of this, so that they believe they actually received the manipulation.

Correlational research

is conducted when studies are concerned with identifying the relationships between two or more variables so it can be understood how the variables change together.

control group

is exactly like the experimental group, except that there is no manipulation of the variable

experimental group

is the group whose variable is manipulated.

dependent variable

is the result of manipulating the independent variable.

independent variable

is the variable that is manipulated in an experiment.

Correlational Research

looks at a co-relationship

third variable problem

occurs when an extraneous variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two variables.

Experimenter bias

occurs when the experimenter's expectations influence the results of the study.

Research participant bias

occurs when the participant's behavior during an experiment is influenced by how the participant believes he or she is supposed to be behaving

A placebo effect

occurs when the participant's expectations produce an experimental outcome, even though the participant did not receive any manipulation.

negative correlation

occurs when the variables move in opposite directions, so that if one variable increases the other variable decreases, and vice versa.

Public

people organized about a situation

Parsimony

preference for the least complicated explanation for an observation

controlling or changing; scientific methods

psychologists are often interested in ___ or ____behavior and use ____ to examine interventions that might help, for example, reduce violence or promote happiness.

correlation coefficient

represented as a lowercase r

Representative Sample

sample drawn from a population of interest and has demographics and characteristics that match those of the population in as many ways as possible

drawbacks to conducting laboratory research

some aspects of the mind and behavior are difficult to examine in a laboratory. is considered?

Statistics

summary descriptions of data (i.e., mean, medium, range)

Correlational research

when the variables are measured by the researcher to see how they relate.

positive correlation

when the variables move in the same direction, so that if one variable increases the other variable also increases, and if one variable decreases the other variable decreases as well.

because sometimes participants will answer the questions in a way they believe is socially acceptable instead of how they really feel.

why are Surveys and interviews can be problematic?

correlation coefficient

The strength of the relationship between two variables is expressed as

test the hypothesis

The third step in conducting scientific research is to

draw conclusions

Based on what was found after data analysis, researchers can do what from their research?

Illusory correlation

Beliefs that inaccurately suppose a relationship between a certain type of action and an effect

descriptive research

By itself, this type of research cannot prove what causes some phenomenon, but it can reveal important information about people's behaviors and attitudes

clinical psychologists

Case studies are performed mainly by ______when, for either practical or ethical reasons, the unique aspects of an individual's life cannot be duplicated and tested in other individuals

an equal chance of being selected

Choosing a random sample means that each member of the population has an

causation

Correlation does not equal ____

unethical to carry out in an experiment.

Correlational studies can also be conducted on variables that would be considered

experience sampling method (ESM)

Correlational studies can be used when researchers are interested in everyday experience is called?

experimenter bias and participant bias

Dr. Aoki used double-blind procedures in his experiments to reduce the potential for ____ and ___.

naturalistic observation

In such research, people's behaviors are being observed in real-world situations. this is called?

double blind experiment

In this type of experiment, neither the experimenter nor the participant is aware of which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group.

manipulated by researchers

Independent variables are ____.

informed consent

Is an ethical guideline where the participants must know in advance what will be involved in the experiment and what, if any, risks there might be.

Observation

One method for collecting research data

double blind experiment

One method to control for both experimenter and participant bias is to conduct a

interview them directly

One method to gain information about people

dependent variable

Researchers measure changes in which variable?

informed consent

Researchers must obtain the _____ of the participants prior to the start of the experiment

observing some phenomenon

The first step in conducting scientific research

psychological science

The goals of THIS are to describe, predict, and explain behavior.

sample

The group that the study uses is called the ____. It is a subset of the population

population.

The researcher wants to be able to draw conclusions from the results that will apply to a larger group of people or animals.

hypothesis

The second step in conducting scientific research is stating a

survey or questionnaire

When information needs to be taken from a large group of people

naturalistic observation

When research is conducted in a natural setting, it is

operational definition

When trying to formulate a research question from your observation, your variable will be measured by this. you will eliminate any gray areas that might arise when thinking about a problem.

Experiments

Which of the following is NOT an example of a descriptive research method? surveys and interviews, observations, experiments, case studies

Experimental studies

Which of the following research methods allow researchers to determine causality? Survey studies, correlation studies, experimental studies

operational definition

establishing this will eliminate any gray areas that might arise when thinking about a problem.

Laboratory research

takes place in a controlled environment from which the complex factors of the real world are removed

Correlational Research

tells us about the relationships between variables, and its purpose is to examine whether and how two variables change together

correlational coefficient

the degree of relationship between two variables is expressed as a numerical value called a

Research setting

the environment within which studies are run has important consequences for experimental design

Correlational research

the key feature to this type of study is that the variables of interest are measured or observed to see how they relate

drawbacks to conducting laboratory research

the participants know that they are being studied; the laboratory setting is unnatural; is considered?

drawbacks to conducting laboratory research

the participants who go to a university setting to take part in laboratory research may not be representative of the general population; is considered?

science, behavior, and mental processes.

the three key terms in PSYCHOLOGY definition

experience sampling method (ESM)

this can consist of writing in a diary or recording a measurement of some kind upon being reminded to do so by an electronic organizer

control group

this group is used as a comparison group.

Descriptive research

this type of research allows the researcher to develop a sense for something but does not answer the how and why of a situation.

Experimental research

this type of research is concerned with establishing causal relationships between variables

Correlational research

this type of research is interested in discovering relationships between variables

descriptive research

this type of research methods include observation, surveys and interviews, and case studies.

data

to test the hypothesis by collecting and analyzing what?

psychology science

uses systematic methods to observe human behavior and draw conclusions