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
