Research Vocabulary

The 5 key provisions of the APA ethics code for research involving humans

1. Informed consent and voluntary participation. 2. Students as research participants must be given alternate activities to participation to fulfill the requirement for credit. 3. No Deception unless both of the following are fulfilled: a. It is not feasible to use.

Statistics

A branch of mathematics used by researchers to organize, summarize, and interpret data.

Placebo Control Group

A control group in which the participants are exposed to a fake independent variable, or placebo. The effects are compared to those of the actual independent variable on the experimental group.

Pseudoscience

A fake or false science that makes claims based on little or no scientific evidence.

Negative Correlation

A finding that two factors vary systematically in opposite directions, one increasing as the other decreases.

Positive Correlation

A finding that two factors vary systematically in the same direction, increasing or decreasing together.

Statistically Significant

A mathematical indication that research results are not very likely to have occurred by chance.

Experimental Method

A method of investigation used to demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships by purposely manipulating one factor thought to produce change in another factor.

Correlation Coefficient

A numerical indication of the magnitude and direction of the relationship between two variables.

Operational Definition

A precise description of how the variables in a study will be manipulated or measured.

Survey

A questionnaire or interview designed to investigate the opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of a particular group.

Correlational Study

A research strategy that allows the precise calculation of how strongly related two factors are to each other.

Scientific Method

A set of assumptions, attitudes, and procedures that guide researchers in creating questions to investigate, in generating evidence, and in drawing conclusions.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical technique that involves combining and analyzing the results of many research studies on a specific topic in order to identify overall trends.

Theory

A tentative explanation that tries to integrate and account for the relationship of various findings and observations.

Hypothesis

A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

Case Study

An intensive study of a single individual or small group of individuals.

Practice Effect

Any change in performance that results from mere repetition of a task.

Expectancy Effects

Changes in a subject's behavior produced by the subject's belief that change should happen; also called placebo effects.

Empirical Evidence

Evidence that is based upon objective observation, measurement, and/or experimentation.

Double-Blind Study

Experimental technique in which neither the participants nor the researcher interacting with the participants is aware of the group or condition to which participants have been assigned.

Demand Characteristics

In a research study, subtle cues or signals expressed by the researcher that communicate the kind or response or behavior that is expected from the participants.

Control Group or Control Condition

In an experiment, the group of participants who are exposed to all experimental conditions, except the independent variable or treatment of interest; the group against which changes in the experimental group are compared.

Experimental group/Experimental condition

In an experiment, the group of participants who are exposed to all experimental conditions, including the independent variable or treatment of interest.

Random Selection

Process in which subjects are selected randomly from a larger group such that every group member has an equal chance of being included in the study.

Descriptive Research Methods

Scientific procedures that involve systematically observing behavior in order to describe the relationship among behaviors and events.

Critical Thinking

The active process of trying to minimize the influence of preconceptions and biases while rationally evaluating evidence, determining the conclusions that can be drawn from evidence, and considering alternative explanations.

Dependent Variable

The factor that is observed and measured for change in an experiment; thought to be influenced by the independent variable.

Dependent variable

The factor that is observed and measured for change in an experiment; thought to be influenced by the independent variable.

Random Assignment

The process of assigning participants to experimental conditions so that all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any of the conditions or groups in the study.

Independent Variable

The purposely manipulated factor thought to produce change in an experiment; also called the treatment of interest.

Naturalistic Observation

The systematic observation and recording of behaviors as they occur in their natural setting.

Replicate

To repeat or duplicate a scientific study in order to increase confidence in the validity of the original findings.