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range

A statistical measure of variance Ex:let us say that the highest score on a psychology exam was a 85 and the lowest score was a 50. The range would be 35

Placebo Effect

a beneficial effect, produced by a placebo drug or treatment, that cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient's belief in that treatment. Ex:a participant has volunteered for a study to determine the effectiveness of a new headache drug

survey

a general view, examination, or description of someone or something. Ex:the author provides a survey of the relevant literature

scatterplot

a graph in which the values of two variables are plotted along two axes, the pattern of the resulting points revealing any correlation present Ex: Scatter plot used in math

correlation

a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things Ex:research showed a clear correlation between recession and levels of property crime

case study

a process or record of research in which detailed consideration is given to the development of a particular person, group, or situation over a period of time Ex:airline deregulation provides a case study of the effects of the internal market

naturalistic observation

a research method commonly used by psychologists and other social scientists Ex: interactions between students or even the dynamic between the teacher and students

operational definition

a result of the true operationalization and is used to define something Ex:through processes such as IQ tests

random sample

a sample in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected to represent the whole Ex:arket research company is interested in learning more about what type of dish soap people use

experiment

a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. Ex: laboratory experiments on guinea pigs

independent variable

a variable (often denoted by x ) whose variation does not depend on that of another Ex:The variable deliberately changed in an experiment

dependent variable

a variable (often denoted by y ) whose value depends on that of another. Ex:the variable that may change as a result of changes in the independent variable.

Population

all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country Ex: The population of Hawaii was 1.42 million in 2014

standard deviation

are scores around the mean of a distribution Ex: how something is spread apart

mean

arithmetic average of a set of given numbers Ex: Consider the following number set: 3, 4, 6, 6, 8, 9, 11. The average is calculated in the following manner: 3 + 4 + 6 + 6 + 8 + 9 + 11 =47 / 7 = 6.7. So the average of the number set is 6.7.

control group

defined as the group in an experiment or study that does not receive treatment by the researchers and is then used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do. Ex:might be testing plant fertilizer by giving it to only half the plants in a garden: the plants that receive no fertilizer are the control group

correlation coefficient

describes direction (positive or negative) and degree (strength) of relationship between two variables. Ex:A researcher hypothesizes that taller people have higher self-esteem. After analyzing his data and coming up with an r-value of .08, he abandons his hypothesis because the two variables do not appear to be strongly related at all.

confounding variable

factors other than the independent variable that may cause a result Ex:it is possible that the students who received caffeine also had more sleep than the control group

experimental group

group of subjects who are exposed to the variable under study Ex:bag of popcorn you placed in the refrigerator

mode

is the most frequently occurring score in a set of given numbers. Ex: 10 kids take a test 2 score 75% 1 socres 80% 3 score 50% and 5 score 95% the mode is 95%

illusory correlation

is the phenomenon of perceiving a relationship between variables (typically people, events, or behaviors) even when no such relationship exists. Ex:A man holds the belief that people in urban environments tend to be rude.

informed consent

permission granted in the knowledge of the possible consequences, typically that which is given by a patient to a doctor for treatment with full knowledge of the possible risks and benefits. Ex: Getting a concussion slip filled out for a sport.

hypothesis

proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. Ex:professional astronomers attacked him for popularizing an unconfirmed hypothesis

debriefing

question (someone, typically a soldier or spy) about a completed mission or undertaking. Ex:together they debriefed their two colleagues

random assignment

refers to the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group Ex:if the total population is 51 percent female and 49 percent male, then the sample should reflect those same percentages

Theory

supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained. Ex:Darwin's theory of evolution

hindsight bias

tendency of people to overestimate their ability Ex: You are nervous to take an exam for which you waited to study until the very last minute. When you take the exam, you feel unsure about the results; however, when your grade comes back a B+, you exclaim to your friends, "I was sure that I'd aced that exam!

replication

the action of copying or reproducing something Ex: Plagarism

median

the middle score in a set of given numbers Ex:Consider this set of numbers: 5, 7, 9, 9, 11. Since you have an odd number of scores, the median would be 9.

critical thinking

the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment Ex:professors often find it difficult to encourage critical thinking to their students

statistical significant

the quality of being worthy of attention; importance. the meaning to be found in words or events Ex: The Statue Of Liberty is a statistical signifigants

culture

the study of how psychological and behavioral tendencies are rooted in and embodied in culture Ex: Religion, Family, Traditions.

double-blind procedure

utilized to prevent bias in research results Ex: a company is asking consumers for opinions about its products, using a survey

normal curve

when all measures of central tendency occur at the highest point in the curve. Ex: A math class with most of the scoring the same on an examine