Research Methods Module 4 and 5

Intuition is unreliable because of what three reasons?

Hindsight bias, overconfidence, and tendency to perceive order in random evens.

operational definitions

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study.

case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles, but can be misleading if the individual/group is atypical for the population.

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has a equal chance of inclusions

survey

a technique for ascertaining the self-repeated attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of a group

hypothesis

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

population

all those in a group being studied, from which sample may be drawn.

theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organize, observe, and predict behavior.

wording effect

connotations will lead to certain answers in surveys. (providing aid to the needy vs. welfare)

Case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observations do not explain behavior, but rather ______________ behavior

describe

Overconfidence

human tendency to, when asked how sure they are of their answer, be more confident than correct

naturalistic observations

observations on behavior in a naturally occurring situation without trying to manipulate and contrast the situation

replication

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (also known as the "i knew it all along" phenomenon)

perceive order in random sequences

thinking a random sequence is less likely to occur than an equally random sequence. (i.e. getting the winning lottery number vs. 1458245 or something. the chance of you getting either numbers is equal)