chap 1 key terms

Question 1

accuracy

Answer 1

o Accuracy- how close a measurement is to the ‘true value’; it cannot be a fixed number, but may be described as more or less accurate.

Question 2

aim

Answer 2

o Aim- question/statement about what researcher intends to investigate; describes purpose of study

Question 3

anecdote

Answer 3

o Anecdote- factual claim based only on personal observation, collected in a casual or non-systematic way.

Question 4

beneficence

Answer 4

o Beneficence- maximising benefits minimising risk/harm during research.

Question 5

between subject design

Answer 5

o Between subject designs- research design where participants are tested only once, usually within an experimental/control group, also called independent groups.

Question 6

case study

Answer 6

o Case study- research investigation focusing on a particular person or event, which is studied in depth, usually involve direct observation and the gathering of qualitative data and provide insight into a particular psychological phenomenon.

Question 7

conclusion

Answer 7

o Conclusion- statement that makes a judgement about the meaningfulness of the findings of the investigation; should answer the question posed in the aim.

Question 8

confidentiality

Answer 8

o Confidentiality- participants rights to privacy and security of their personal information, including not being identifiable in the results.

Question 9

confounding variable

Answer 9

o Confounding variable- a type of extraneous variable that ends up changing the DV in an unwanted way; this confounds the results as its impossible to determine the cause of the change in the DV; interfere with the internal validity of the study.

Question 10

control group

Answer 10

o Control group- in a controlled experiment, the group of participants that is not exposed to the IV; it provides a comparison for the group hat is exposed to the treatment, so ideally, its members are matched to the members of the experimental group or other relevant variables.

Question 11

controlled experiment

Answer 11

o Controlled experiment- type of research investigation where researcher manipulates one or more IV’s and then measures the effect on the DV; researcher attempts to control the influence of other variables that could also affect the DV; usually involves the comparison of outcomes for a control group and an experimental group.

Question 12

controlled variable

Answer 12

o Controlled variable- an extraneous variable whose influence has been eliminated from an experiment so that it cant affect results; it has been controlled using a particular strategy.

Question 13

convenience sampling

Answer 13

o Convenience sampling- a method for selecting participants; they are selected because they are readily available to the researcher.

Question 14

correlation study

Answer 14

o Correlation study- a scientific investigation involving measuring variables in an uncontrolled setting to identify and understand any relationships that may exist between them.

Question 15

data

Answer 15

o Data- the observed facts that constitute the results of an experiment.

Question 16

debriefing

Answer 16

o Debriefing- at the end of a research study, participants are informed of the study’s true purpose, essential in studies where deception has been necessary; mistaken beliefs are corrected and information is provided about services to help with distress resulting from participation.

Question 17

deception

Answer 17

o Deception- withholding information from participants about the true nature of and procedures used in a study; used in cases where giving participants the information beforehand might influence their responses and affect the internal validity of the study.

Question 18

DV

Answer 18

o Dependent variable- the variable that is measured in an experiment; it is expected to change when exposed to the IV, represented in graphs on the y-axis.

Question 19

descriptive statistics

Answer 19

o Descriptive statistics- statistics used to summarize and organise data; includes measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), the range and spread (standard deviation) of data, frequency graphs and tables.

Question 20

ethical guidelines

Answer 20

o Ethical guidelines- considerations about how an investigation may affect human or non-human participants that must be taken into account before an investigation is carried out.

Question 21

experimental group

Answer 21

o Experimental group- in a controlled experiment, the group of participants exposed to the IV.

Question 22

external validity

Answer 22

o External validity- the extent to which the results of an investigation can be applied (or generalised) to people or situations beyond the sample.

Question 23

extraneous variable

Answer 23

o Extraneous variable- any variable, other than the IV, that may change the results; researchers try to control extraneous variables before the research starts by thinking of what they could be and then taking steps to stop their affect.

Question 24

fieldwork

Answer 24

o Fieldwork- a data-collecting technique where an animal or person is observed in their natural environment; there is no experimental control of variables, also known as naturalistic observation.

Question 25

hypothesis

Answer 25

o Hypothesis- a testable prediction about the relationship between two variables; it is based on prior knowledge, so it is also considered to be an educated guess.

Question 26

IV

Answer 26

o Independent variable- the variable systematically manipulated by the experimenter to gauge its effect on the DV; represented in graphs on the x axis.

Question 27

informed consent

Answer 27

o Informed consent- before participating, the researcher must explain the nature and purpose of the experiment, the potential risks and the participants rights; participants then give their consent in writing should they wish to proceed.

Question 28

integrity

Answer 28

o Integrity- when completing research, the commitment to searching for knowledge, the honest reporting of all sources of information and results (whether favourable or unfavourable) in ways that permit scrutiny and contribute to public knowledge and understanding.

Question 29

internal validity

Answer 29

o Internal validity- refers to whether the study was carried out following scientific procedures; in particular, variables putting pressure on yourself to be perfect or fear of public speaking.

Question 30

justice

Answer 30

o Justice- the moral obligation to ensure that there is fair consideration of competing claims; that there is no unfair burden on a particular group and that there is fair distribution and access to the benefits of an action.

Question 31

literature review

Answer 31

o Literature review- a method of scientific inquiry that involves collating, analysing and synthesising the existing scientific literature on a specific topic, with the goal of determining the ‘state of the art’ in the field, to provide the background to a new investigation, and/or to determine the extent of current consensus of views on the topic, articulate the other viewpoints and recommend directions for future research in the field.

Question 32

logbook

Answer 32

o Logbook- a complete, permanent record of how an experiment or research project was conducted; it shows what was done at every step along the way.

Question 33

mean

Answer 33

o Mean- a measure of central tendency that gives the numerical average of all the scores in a data set; calculated by adding all the scores in a data set, then dividing the total by the number of scores in the set.

Question 34

measure of central tendency

Answer 34

o Measure of central tendency- a measure of tendency for a majority of scores to fall in the mid-range of possible values.

Question 35

median

Answer 35

o Median- a measure of tendency, the middle score in a data set; calculated by arranging scores in a data set from the highest to lowest and selecting the middle score.

Question 36

mixed design

Answer 36

o Mixed design- a research design that includes both within and between subjects conditions as IV’s.

Question 37

mode

Answer 37

o Mode- a measure of central tendency, it’s the most frequently occurring score in a data set.

Question 38

non-maleficence

Answer 38

o Non-maleficence- a research ethic meaning to avoid causing harm; when it is not avoidable, the harm resulting from any course of action should be disproportionate to the benefits from that course of action.

Question 39

non-scientific ideas

Answer 39

o Non-scientific ideas- knowledge that has not been obtained through the use of the scientific method.

Question 40

opinion

Answer 40

o Opinion- a statement describing a personal belief or thought that cannot be tested (or hasn’t been tested) and is unsupported by evidence (unless its provided by an expert who uses evidence to support it).

Question 41

order effect

Answer 41

o Order effect- where prior knowledge of a task or situation influences a participants performance, which in turn influences the results of the experiment (also known as the practice effect).

Question 42

outlier

Answer 42

o Outlier- data readings that lie a long way from other results; they may occur by chance or be the result of measurement and recording errors.

Question 43

population

Answer 43

o Population- the entire group of people that is of interest to a researcher, from which a sample will been drawn.

Question 44

precision

Answer 44

o Precision- how close a set of measurements are to one another if conditions aren’t changed; precise measurements are repeatable and reproducible.

Question 45

primary data

Answer 45

o Primary data- data generated in a study by researcher.

Question 46

psychological construct

Answer 46

o Psychological construct- a concept used in psychology to describe a mental process, psychological state or trait; they are used to describe something that is believed to exist, because we can measure its effects, but we cannot directly observe or measure it.

Question 47

psychological model

Answer 47

o Psychological model- a construct built from current theoretical understandings to make theory more concrete and testable; models can have limitations, including incorrect assumptions or oversimplifications.

Question 48

psychological theory

Answer 48

o Psychological theory- an organised set of interrelated psychological constructs, mechanisms and processes that describes and/or explains a psychological system, process or experience.

Question 49

qualitative data

Answer 49

o Qualitative data- non-numerical data that describes the attitudes, behaviours or experiences of participants, often collected using questionnaires or interviews and includes descriptions of feelings and experiences.

Question 50

quantitative data

Answer 50

o Quantitative data- data that is numerical, collected through systematic and controlled procedures and can be graphed and statistically analysed.

Question 51

random allocation

Answer 51

o Random allocation- a procedure for assigning participants to either the experimental group or control group in an experiment, ensuring that all participants have an equal chance of being allocated to either group.

Question 52

random error

Answer 52

o Random error- unpredictable variations that are present in all measurements (except counting) and that result in a spread of readings; they affect the precision of a measurement.

Question 53

random sampling

Answer 53

o Random sampling- a sampling technique that uses chance to ensure that every member of a population of interest has an equal chance of being selected to participate in the study.

Question 54

repeatability

Answer 54

o Repeatability- a procedure is considered repeatable if successive measurements that are carried out in the same way (using the same procedure, observer, equipment and location) produce the same or very similar results.

Question 55

representative sample

Answer 55

o Representative sample- a randomly selected group that accurately reflects the characteristics of a larger population from which it is drawn; the group becomes the participants in the study.

Question 56

reproducability

Answer 56

o Reproducibility- the closeness of the agreement between measurements of the same quantity that have been taken under different conditions; when findings aren’t reproducible, they may lack credibility.

Question 57

respect

Answer 57

o Respect- psychologists must conduct themselves showing respect for other people through their actions and language.

Question 58

risk assessment

Answer 58

o Risk-assessment- procedure to identify potential risks and hazards associated with an experiment.

Question 59

sample

Answer 59

o Sample- a group of participants selected to participate in a study, taken from a population of research interest.

Question 60

sample size

Answer 60

o Sample size- the number of participants in a study.

Question 61

sampling

Answer 61

o Sampling- the process of selecting participants from a population of interest; sampling techniques can be random, stratified or a sample of convenience.

Question 62

secondary data

Answer 62

o Secondary data- data that existed before a current research project was conducted and was collected by someone else; it may have been statistically summarised.

Question 63

standard deviation

Answer 63

o Standard deviation- a statistical measure representing how far each value in a set of data set is from the mean.

Question 64

stratified sampling

Answer 64

o Stratified sampling- a sampling technique used to ensure that a sample contains the same proportions from each nominated strata that exist in the population.

Question 65

systematic error

Answer 65

o Systematic error- an error that causes readings to differ in the same way each time a measurement is made, so that all the readings are shifted in one direction (up or down) from the true value; systematic errors affect the accuracy of a measurement.

Question 66

true value

Answer 66

o True value- the value (or range of values) that would be found if the quantity could be measured without error.

Question 67

uncertainty

Answer 67

o Uncertainty- potential sources of variation cause uncertainty in all measurements; the level of uncertainty in a measurement influences all interferences and conclusions that are based on that measurement.

Question 68

validity

Answer 68

o Validity- whether a questionnaire or scale actually measures what its supposed to measure; an investigation has internal validity when the study produces results that can be interpreted meaningfully in relation to the aims of the study; interpreted meaningfully in relation to the aims of the study; an investigation has external validity when the results can be meaningfully generalised from the sample to the population.

Question 69

variability

Answer 69

o Variability- a single number that tells us the degree to which scores in a distribution are spread out or clustered together.

Question 70

variable

Answer 70

o Variable- any condition that can have a range of values; can be manipulated or measured in an investigation.

Question 71

voluntary participation

Answer 71

o Voluntary participation- when participants willingly agree to take part in an experiment free from pressure or fear of negative consequences, after understanding what is required of them.

Question 72

withdrawal rights

Answer 72

o Withdrawal rights- participants are entitled to leave an experiment for any reason at any stage without any negative consequences; participants are informed of the right to withdraw before agreeing to participate.

Question 73

within-subject design

Answer 73

o Within-subject design- a research design where the same group of participants makes up both the experimental and control groups, also known as repeated measures.