AP Psychology Unit 2 Terms

Question 1

Refers to the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have forseen it

Answer 1

Hindsight Bias

Question 2

Careful reasoning that examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

Answer 2

Critical Thinking

Question 3

An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

Answer 3

Theory

Question 4

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory; testing it helps scientists to test the theory

Answer 4

Hypothesis

Question 5

A precise statement of the procedures used to define research variables

Answer 5

Operational Definition

Question 6

The process of repeating an experiment, often with different participants and in different situations, to see whether the finding generalizes to other people and circumstances

Answer 6

Replication

Question 7

An observation technique in which one person is studied in great depth, often with the intention of revealing universal principles

Answer 7

Case study

Question 8

A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a representative, random sample of people

Answer 8

Survey

Question 9

All the members of a group being studied

Answer 9

Population

Question 10

One that is representative because every member of the population has an equal chance of being included

Answer 10

Random sample

Question 11

Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Answer 11

Naturalistic Observation

Question 12

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other

Answer 12

Correlation

Question 13

A statistical measure of the relationship; it can be positive or negative (from -1 to +1)

Answer 13

Correlation Coefficient

Question 14

A depiction of the relationship between two variables by means of a graphed cluster of dots

Answer 14

Scatterplot

Question 15

The perception of a relationship where none exists

Answer 15

Illusory Correlation

Question 16

A research method in which a researcher directly manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process; make it possible to establish cause-effect relationships

Answer 16

Experiment

Question 17

The procedure of assigning participants to the experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups

Answer 17

Random Assignment

Question 18

An experimental procedure in which neither the experimenter nor the research participants are aware of which group is receiving the treatment. It is used to prevent experimenters’ and participants’ expectations from influencing the results

Answer 18

Double-blind Procedure

Question 19

When the results of an experiment are caused by expectations alone

Answer 19

Placebo Effect

Question 20

A group in an experiment in which participants are exposed to the independent variable being studied

Answer 20

Experimental Group

Question 21

Part of an experiment in which the treatment of interest is withheld so that comparison to the experimental condition can be made

Answer 21

Control Group

Question 22

The factor being manipulated and tested by the investigator

Answer 22

Independent Variable

Question 23

Any factor other than the independent variable that might affect the factor being measured in an experiment

Answer 23

Confounding Variable

Question 24

In an experiment it is the factor being measured by the investigator; the factor that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable

Answer 24

Dependent Variable

Question 25

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution; it is the simplest measure of central tendency to determine

Answer 25

Mode

Question 26

The arithmetic average; the measure of central tendency computed by adding the scores in a distribution and dividing by the number of scores

Answer 26

Mean

Question 27

Another measure of central tendency that is the score that falls at the 50th percentile, cutting a distribution in half

Answer 27

Median

Question 28

A measure of variation computed as the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

Answer 28

Range

Question 29

A computed measure of how much scores in a distribution deviate around the mean. Because it is based on every score in the distribution, it is a more precise measure of variation than the range

Answer 29

Standard Deviation

Question 30

The symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution describing many types of psychological data, in which most scores fall near the mean, with fewer and fewer at the extremes

Answer 30

Normal Curve

Question 31

An obtained result, like the differences between the averages of two samples, very likely reflects a real difference rather than sampling variation or change factors. Tests help researchers decide when they can justifiably generalize from an observed instance

Answer 31

Statistical Significance

Question 32

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Answer 32

Culture

Question 33

The ethical principle that research participants should be told enough about an experiment to enable them to decide whether they wish to participate

Answer 33

Informed Consent

Question 34

When participants are fully informed about an experiment’s purpose and procedures once the study has concluded

Answer 34

Debriefing