Chapter Two: Methodology

Question 1

Hindsight Bias

Answer 1

The tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted the outcome after knowing that it occurred

Question 2

Theory

Answer 2

An organized set of principles that can be used to explain observed phenomena

Question 3

Hypothesis

Answer 3

A testable statement or idea about the relationship between two or more variables

Question 4

Operational Definition

Answer 4

The precise specification of how variables are measured or manipulated

Question 5

Observational Method

Answer 5

The technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records measurements of their behaviour

Question 6

Ethnography

Answer 6

The method by which researchers attempt to understand a group or culture by observing it from the inside without imposing any preconceived notions they might have

Question 7

Interjudge Reliability

Answer 7

The level of agreement between two or more people who independently observe and code a set of date; by showing that two or more judges independently come up with the same observations, researchers ensure that the observations are not the subjective impressions of one individual

Question 8

Archival Analysis

Answer 8

A form of the observational method whereby the researcher examines the accumulated documents, or archives, of a culture (ex. Diaries, novels, magazines, newspapers…)

Question 9

Correlational Method

Answer 9

The technique whereby researchers systemically measure two or more variables and assess the relation between them (ex. How much one can be predicted from the other)

Question 10

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 10

A statistic that assesses how well you can predict one variable based on another (ex. How well you can predict people’s weight from their height)

Question 11

Surveys

Answer 11

Research in which a representative sample of people are asked questions about their attitudes or behaviour

Question 12

Random Selection

Answer 12

A way of ensuring that a sample of people is representative of a population, by giving everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected for the sample

Question 13

Experimental Method

Answer 13

The method in which the researcher randomly assigns participants to different conditions and ensures that these conditions are identical except for the independent variable (The one thought to have a causal effect on people’s responses)

Question 14

Independent Variable

Answer 14

The variable a researcher changes or varies to see if it has an effect on some other variable

Question 15

Dependent Variable

Answer 15

The variable a researcher measures to see if it is influenced by the independent variable; the researcher hypothesizes that the dependent variable will be influenced by the level of the independent variable

Question 16

Random Assignment to Condition

Answer 16

The process whereby all participants have an equal chance of taking part in any condition of an experiment; through random assignment, researchers can be relatively certain that differences in the participants’ personalities or backgrounds are distributed evenly across conditions

Question 17

Probability Level (p-Value)

Answer 17

A number, calculated with statistical techniques, that tells researchers how likely it is that the results of their experiment occurred by chance and not because of the independent variable; the convention in science, including social psychology, is to consider results significant if the probability level is less than 5 in 100 that the results might be attributable to chance factors and not the independent variables studied

Question 18

Internal Validity

Answer 18

Ensuring that nothing other than the independent variable can affect the dependent variable; this is accomplished by controlling all extraneous variables and by randomly assigning people to different experimental conditions

Question 19

External Validity

Answer 19

The extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people

Question 20

Psychological Realism

Answer 20

The extent to which the psychological processes triggered in an experiment are similar to psychological processes that occur in everyday life

Question 21

Cover Story

Answer 21

A description of the purpose of a study given to participants that is different from its true purpose; cover stories are used to maintain psychological realism

Question 22

Field Experiment

Answer 22

An experiment conducted in natural settings, rather than in the laboratory

Question 23

Replication

Answer 23

Repeating a study, generally with different subject populations, in different settings, or by using different methods

Question 24

Meta-Analysis

Answer 24

A statistical technique that averages the results of two or more studies to see if the effect of an independent variable is reliable

Question 25

Basic Research

Answer 25

Studies that are designed to find the best answer as to why people behave the way they do an that are conducted purely for reasons of intellectual curiosity

Question 26

Applied Research

Answer 26

Studies designed specifically to solve a particular social problem; building a theory of behaviour is usually secondary to solving the specific problem

Question 27

Cross Cultural Research

Answer 27

Research conducted with members of different cultures to see whether the psychological processes of interest are present across cultures or whether they are specific to a single culture

Question 28

Informed Consent

Answer 28

Agreement to participate in an experiment, granted in full awareness of the nature of the experiment which has been explained in advance

Question 29

Deception

Answer 29

The procedure whereby participants are misled about the true purpose of a study or the events that will actually transpire

Question 30

Debriefing

Answer 30

Explaining to the participants, at the end of the experiment, the true purpose of the study and exactly what transpired