Psychology- Chapter 1 Scientific Method
correlational coefficient
the degree of relationship between two variables is expressed as a numerical value called a
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
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.
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
data
to test the hypothesis by collecting and analyzing what?
psychology science
uses systematic methods to observe human behavior and draw conclusions
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.
number, - or +
where the ______ determines the strength of the relationship between the variables and the _____ sign determines the direction of the relationship between the variables
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?
institutional review boards
Colleges and universities have what are termed ______ that evaluate the ethical nature of research studies before approving them.
causation
Correlation does not equal
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?
internal validity
Demand characteristics can threaten the _____ of a study.
experimenter bias and participant bias
Dr. Aoki used double-blind procedures in his experiments to reduce the potential for ____ and ___.
research variables that cannot be manipulated.
Even with the risk of a third variable, correlational studies are important, because they allow us to
human problems
Experiments using animals as research subjects have provided a better understanding of and solutions for many ____
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.
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.
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.
obtaining measures of the variables of interest in multiple waves over time
Longitudinal research involves ______.
strong negative
Professor Mendez found that the correlation between students' life stress scale score and his or her final grade was -. 80. This correlation coefficient indicates a _____ relationship between the two variables.
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 ____.
confidentiality
Researchers are responsible for the maintaining the _____ of all the data collected from the participants in the experiment.
dependent variable
Researchers measure changes in which variable?
informed consent
Researchers must obtain the _____ of the participants prior to the start of the experiment
ethical guideline
Subjects in a research study should be no worse off after participating in the study. is considered?
Deception
THIS is allowed in an experiment if telling the participants in advance about the expected outcome of the study could potentially alter the participants' behavior and therefore invalidate the results of the experiment.
SURVEY
THIS presents a standard set of questions, or items, to obtain people's self-reported attitudes or beliefs about a particular topic.
animal
The APA has established guidelines for researchers to use in housing, feeding, and maintaining the psychological and physiological well-being of ____ subjects.
±1.00
The closer the number is to ___, the stronger the relationship
ethical standards
The consideration of THIS came about after Nazi doctors in concentration camps used prisoners as guinea pigs in their experiments.
its strength and its direction
The correlation coefficient is a statistic that tells us two things about the relationship between two variables which are?
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
values
The issue of ____ in psychological research (the standards for judging what is worthwhile and desirable) is two sided.
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
Descriptive research
This type of research involves finding out about the basic dimensions of some variable
External validity
___ refers to the degree to which an experimental design actually reflects the real-world issues it is supposed to address.
internal validity
____ refers to the degree to which changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and nothing else.
Operational definitions
_____ provide an objective description of how variables are going to be measured and observed in a particular study.
Correlational research
____is so named because of the statistical technique, that is typically used to analyze these type of data.
Internal validity
a caution involved in experimental research that refers to whether changes in the dependent variable are actually due to the manipulation of the independent variable.
External validity
a caution involved in experimental research that refers to whether the experimental design is representative of real-world issues
Data
a collection of measurements
Descriptive research
allows researchers to get a sense of something but cannot answer questions about how and why things are the way they are
hypothesis
an idea that is arrived at logically from a theory.
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
can measure only what people think about themselves
case study
conducted when a researcher takes an in-depth look at a single individual.
survey
consists of questions about a person's self-reported attitudes or beliefs about a topic.
operational definition
establishing this will eliminate any gray areas that might arise when thinking about a problem.
Descriptive research
involves investigating the parameters of a variable
confederate
is a person given a role in an experiment in order to manipulate the social context.
Descriptive research
is about describing some phenomenon—determining its basic dimensions and defining what this thing is, how often it occurs, and so on
case study, or case history,
is an in-depth look at a single individual
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.
Ethnic gloss
is the using of an ethnic label in a superficial way that portrays an ethnic group as being more homogeneous than it really is.
independent variable
is the variable that is manipulated in an experiment.
case study
is usually conducted by a clinical psychologist when the unique aspects of an individual's life cannot be duplicated in other individuals.
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.
Case histories
provide dramatic, detailed portrayals of people's lives, but we must be cautious about applying what we learn from one person's life to other people
case study
provides information about one person's goals, hopes, fantasies, fears, traumatic experiences, family relationships, health, or anything else that helps the psychologist understand the person's mind and behavior and can also involve in-depth explorations of particular families or social groups.
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
drawbacks to conducting laboratory research
some aspects of the mind and behavior are difficult to examine in a laboratory. is considered?
longitudinally designed
study in which the measures of the variables are obtained in multiple waves over time
Statistics
summary descriptions of data (i.e., mean, medium, range)
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
an equal chance of being selected
Choosing a random sample means that each member of the population has an
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
negative
A _____ sign means that as one variable increases, the other decreases
positive
A ______sign means that as one variable increases, the other also increases
zero
A _____correlation means that there is no systematic relationship between the variables.
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
debriefing
After an experiment has been conducted, the researcher is responsible for _____ the participants
variables
Another challenge in survey construction is that when questionnaires are used to operationally define
longitudinally designed study
Another way of controlling for causation is by conducting a
draw conclusions
Based on what was found after data analysis, researchers can do what from their research?
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
value-free
ONE SIDE OF VALUES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH: people believe that because psychologists are humans, they cannot be _____.
value-free, MORALLY
ONE SIDE OF VALUES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH: psychologists believe that psychology should be ____ and ____ neutral
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
data analysis
One of the key aspects of testing a hypothesis is
look good
One particular problem with surveys and interviews is the tendency of participants to answer questions in a way that will make them ____ rather than in a way that communicates what they truly think or feel
debriefing
Part of ethical guideline where the participants are informed of the experiment's purpose and the methods that were used in the experiment.
external validity
Professor Jones is studying drug use among high school students. If she uses random sampling, it will strengthen the ____ of her study.
positive correlation
Professor Jordan has suggested to his students that as study time increases, grades increase. The professor is describing a ____.
The American Psychological Association (APA)
This has developed guidelines for researchers to follow when conducting research involving human participants.
strength
The number or magnitude of the correlation tells us about the _____of the relationship.
-1.00 and +1.00
The numeric value of a correlation coefficient falls between
internal validity
The placebo effect can weaken the ____ of an experiment.
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
(+ or -)
The sign _____tells us about the direction of the relationship between the variables.
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
confounds
These "third variables" are also called
SURVEY
if we are interested in studying a variable that we think is unconscious, like a psychodynamic drive, we cannot use a
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.
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.