Chapter 1

Question 0

Testable hypothesis

Answer 0

Prediction that has been formulated specifically enough so that it is clear what observations would challenge it

Question 1

Variable

Answer 1

Any characteristic whose values can change

Question 2

Operational definition

Answer 2

Definition that translates the variable we want to assess into a specific procedure or measurement

Question 3

Dependent variable

Answer 3

Variable that is measured or recorded in an experiment

Question 4

Independent variable

Answer 4

Variable that the experimenter manipulates as a basis for making predictions about the dependent variable

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

The entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions

Question 6

Sample

Answer 6

The subset of the population that the investigator studies in order to learn about the population at large

Question 7

Random sampling

Answer 7

A procedure in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being picked to participate in a study

Question 8

Case study

Answer 8

An intensive study of one person

Question 9

External validity

Answer 9

The degree to which a study’s participants, stimuli, and procedures adequately reflect the world as it actually is

Question 10

Demand characteristics

Answer 10

The cues in a study that might tell a research participant what behaviors are expected or desirable in that setting

Question 11

Double-blind design

Answer 11

The technique of assigning participants to experimental conditions while keeping both the participants and the researchers unaware of who is assigned to which group

Question 12

Descriptive statistics

Answer 12

Mathematical procedures that allow a researcher to characterize a data pattern; these procedures include measures of central tendency and of variability

Question 13

Inferential statistics

Answer 13

Mathematical procedures that allow a researcher to draw further claims from a data pattern including claims about whether the pattern observed in the sample is likely to be observed and other samples

Question 14

Mean (M)

Answer 14

A measure of central tendency computed by calculating the sum of all the observations then dividing by the number of observations

Question 15

Median

Answer 15

A measure of central tendency taken by putting the data values in order and finding the value that divides the distribution in half

Question 16

Variability

Answer 16

The degree to which scores in a frequency distribution depart from the central value

Question 17

Standard Deviation

Answer 17

A measure of the variability of a dataset calculated as the square root of the variance

Question 18

Correlation

Answer 18

The tendency of two variables to change together. If one goes up and the other goes up, the correlation is positive; if one goes up and the other goes down, the correlation is negative

Question 19

Correlation coefficient (r)

Answer 19

Number that expresses both the size and the direction of a correlation, varying from +1.00 (perfect positive correlation) to -1.00 (perfect negative correlation)

Question 20

Reliability

Answer 20

The degree of consistency with which a test measures a trait or attribute

Question 21

Validity

Answer 21

The extent to which a method or procedure measures what it is supposed to measure

Question 22

Effect size

Answer 22

The magnitude of the difference between groups in a study, often computed by subtracting the mean of one groups score from the mean of the others score

Question 23

Statistical significance

Answer 23

A calculation central to inferential statistics that describes the likelihood that the results of a study happened by chance

Question 24

Quasi-experiment

Answer 24

A comparison that relies on already existing groups

I.e., groups the experimenter did not create

Question 25

Correlation studies

Answer 25

Studies in which the investigator analyzes the relationships among variables that were in place before the study without manipulating those variables

Question 26

Third-variable problem

Answer 26

The possibility that two correlated variables maybe changing together only due to the operation of a third variable

Question 27

Experiment

Answer 27

A study of casual relationships in which the researcher manipulates an independent variable to examine it’s effect on a dependent variable

Question 28

Experimental manipulation

Answer 28

The deliberate alteration of the independent variable in an experiment in order to learn about it’s effects on the dependent variable

Question 29

Experimental group

Answer 29

The group within an experiment that experiences the researchers manipulation of the independent variable

Question 30

Control Group

Answer 30

A group within an experiment that does not experience the experimental manipulation

Question 31

Random Assignment

Answer 31

In an experimental design the random placement of participants in either the experimental or control groups ensuring that the groups are matched at the outset of the experiment

Question 32

Within-subject Comparisons

Answer 32

Within a study, comparing the data about each participant in one situation to data about the same participant in another situation

Question 33

Between-subject Comparisons

Answer 33

Within a study, comparing one group of individuals to a different group

Question 34

Internal validity

Answer 34

The characteristic of a study that allows us to conclude that the manipulation of the independent variable caused the observed changes in the dependent variable

Question 35

Replication

Answer 35

A repetition of an experiment that yields the same results

Question 36

Meta-analysis

Answer 36

A statistical technique for combining the results of many studies on a particular topic even when the studies used different data collection methods

Question 37

Informed consent

Answer 37

A research participants agreement to take part in the study, based on full information about what the experiment will involve

Question 38

Debriefing

Answer 38

A step at the end of an experiment in which the researcher explains the study’s purpose and design to each participant and undoes any manipulations to participants beliefs or state

Question 39

Empirical claims

Answer 39

Claims that can be true or false depending on the facts