CH2 - Methods

Question 1

Which concept has the following definition?

People’s tendency to be overconfident about whether they could have predicted a given outcome. It is possible to avoid it by predicting results then finding out about them.

Answer 1

Hindsight bias

Question 2

What are the three different ways of sampling?

Answer 2

1. Representative sampling
2. Convenience sampling (Ø random, biased in some way)
3. Random sampling (selecting individuals for a study by selecting them from a larger potential group. To be random, each is chosen in such a way that they have a fixed chance of inclusion.)

Question 3

What is a longitudinal study?

Answer 3

study conducted over a long period of time w/ the same participants

Question 4

How do you conduct correlational research?

Answer 4

You examine relationships between variables, that can vary in strength from -1 to +1. Involves measuring 2 or more variables + assessing the relationship.
(.1 = weak, .3 = moderate, .5 = strong)

Question 5

What is the difference between a dependent variable, an independent variable and a third variable?

Answer 5

🡪Third variable: variable, often unmeasured in correlational research, that can be the true explanation for the relationship between 2 other variables

🡪independent variable: variable about which a prediction is made

–> Dependent variable: variable on which effect of independent variable is measured

Question 6

What are common threats to internal validity?

Answer 6

1. Selection bias
2. Differential attrition – undermining random assignment
3. Regression to the mean -subjects must be equally ‘extreme’
4. Experimenter/rater bias – make rater blind to what they’re reporting on
5. Expectancy / Hawthorne effect – act different bc know what tested – make both double-blind

Question 7

What do researchers usually do at the end of an experiment, and why?

Answer 7

Investigators debrief the participants about the purpose of the experiment

Question 8

Explain the difference between external and internal validity.

Answer 8

External validity is how closely the experimental setup resembles IRL. The greater the ext validity, the more its possible to generalize results obtained.
On the other hand, internal validity refers to the likelihood that only the manipulated variable accounts for the results, rather than some extraneous factor such as participants’ failure to understand instructions.

Question 9

Under which conditions is replicability possible?

Answer 9

Replication is repeating a study to determine whether the findings can be duplicated. The duplication must use the exact same procedure, but sometimes it is hard to replicate a study if it was never true to begin with.

Question 10

Which measures are put in place to address ethical concerns in research?

Answer 10

Institutional review boards are committees that review research procedures to make sure that privacy and safety of participants are protected

Informed consent is based on the willingness of participants to take part in a study based on the information presented to them before the study begins, including all the procedures they will undergo + any possible risks.

Ø always possible especially when deception is involved

Question 11

What is basic science?

Answer 11

Research conducted for the purpose of understanding phenomena in their own right

Question 12

What kind of research intends to solve real-world problems?

Answer 12

Research in applied science