Psychology 2
What is the important caution you would give to a researcher interested in using a survey?
Not to write questions that lead people to answer in a wrong way.
Why are placebos used in some experiments?
They help control for some confounding variables.
If variable A is correlated with variable B what are the 3 possibilities in terms of cause and effect?
Variable A could cause B. Variable B could cause A. Or a third variable could cause both, A, and B.
Case study
When one person is studied in depth.
Participant bias
When participants in research respond differently than they normally would because of what they believe the researcher wants.
Researcher bias
When researchers selectively notice evidence that supports their hypothesis or expectations.
Why must researchers be cautious about the results of a case study?
Because it's not supposed to be bias, and it can't be possible to extend the results of 1 case study to other people.
To be useful a survey must be administered to a _______ sample pulled from a larger __________.
Random, population
Replication
Repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the results can be reliably reproduced.
Briefly describe why it's important for all people to have an understanding of the scientific method...
Research leads to logical conclusions. It's important so people can make informed decisions.
Placebo
A nonactive substance that may be administered instead of a drug.
Longitudinal study
Studying the same group of individuals over a long period of time.
Expirement
A research method in which the researcher manipulates one or more factors (independent variable) to observe the effect on another variable (dependent variable) while confounding variables remain controlled.
Survey method
A research technique designed to discover the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people through the use of questionnaires or interviews.
Random sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of being included.
Operational definition
A statement of the exact behaviors a researcher is looking for in a research study.
If a researcher wanted to study a unique situation, such as a child growing up in a household in which 4 languages are spoken what research method is most appropriate?
Case study
Hypothesis
An investigators testable prediction about the outcome of research.
Random assignment
Assigning participants to experimental and Control groups by chance.
Explain why random assignment is a critical feature of expire mental design?
Chance determines group assignments, we can assume individual differences amongst the participants will be equally distributed.
________ bias exists when a researcher only looks for information that supports his or her point of view.
Confirmation
________________ studies compare individuals from different age groups at one time.
Cross-sectional
Why are more cross-sectional studies conducted than longitudinal studies?
Cross-sectional studies are less expensive, less difficult to conduct, and more efficient than longitudinal studies.
One way to minimize participant bias is to use ________ observation to collect data.
Naturalistic
______________ is when a participant receives a full explanation at the conclusion of the research.
Debriefing
___________________ occurs when a research participant knows when a research participant knows the general nature of the research and agrees to participate.
Informed consent
A ___________ correlation exists when one variable increases while another variable decreases.
Negative
Dependent variable
The behavior or mental process where the impact of the independent variable is measured.
Population
The entire group from which subjects may be selected for a study.
Experimental group
The participants in an experiment who are exposed to the treatment; that is, the independent variable.
Control group
The participants in an experiment who are not exposed to the independent variable.
Independent variable
The research variable that is hypothesized to cause a change in the dependent variable.
One advantage of the scientific method over other ways of understanding the world is?
The scientific method leads to more reliable, reproducible answers.
