Chapter 2

Question 1

Empiricism

Answer 1

Knowledge of the world can be acquired by observing it

Question 2

Scientific Method

Answer 2

A procedure for using empirical evidence to establish facts

Question 3

Theory

Answer 3

Explanations of natural phenomena

Question 4

Hypothesis

Answer 4

A falsifiable prediction made by a theory

-> something you TEST not something you prove

Question 5

Empirical Method

Answer 5

A set of rules and techniques for observation

Question 6

Operational Definition

Answer 6

A description of a property in measurable terms

A GOOD operational definition is
- Precise
- Practical
- Quantitative
- Has good interobserver reliability

Question 7

Construct Validity

Answer 7

A feature of operational definitions whose specified operations are generally considered good indicators of the specified properties

Question 8

Power

Answer 8

A detectors ability to detect changes in the magnitude of a property

Question 9

Reliability

Answer 9

A detectors ability to detect the absence of differences or changes in the magnitude of a property

Question 10

Demand Characteristics

Answer 10

Those aspects of an observational setting that causes people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects

Question 11

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 11

A technique for gathering information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments

Question 12

Observer Bias

Answer 12

The tendency for observers expectations to influence both what they believe they observed and what they actually observed

Question 13

Double-Blind Study

Answer 13

A study in which neither the participants nor the researcher knows how the participants are expected to behave

Question 14

Population

Answer 14

A complete collection of people

Question 15

Sample

Answer 15

A partial collection of people drawn from a population

Question 16

Frequency Distribution

Answer 16

A graphic representation showing the number of times that the measurement of a property takes on each of its possible values

Question 17

Normal Distribution

Answer 17

a mathematically defined distribution in which the frequency of the measurements is highest in the middle and decreases symmetrically in BOTH directions

Question 18

Mode

Answer 18

The value that occurs most frequently in a set of data

Question 19

Median

Answer 19

The middle number of a set of data

Question 20

Mean

Answer 20

The average value of all the measurements in a set of data

Question 21

Range

Answer 21

The value of the largest measurement in a frequency distribution minus the smallest value of a measurement

Question 22

Standard Deviation

Answer 22

A statistic that describes how each of the measurements in a frequency distribution differs from the mean

Question 23

Variable

Answer 23

A property that can have more than one value

Question 24

Correlation

Answer 24

A relationship between variables in which variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with variations in the value of the other

Question 25

Correlation Coefficient (r)

Answer 25

A mathematical measure of both the direction and strength of a correlation, which is symbolized by the letter r

Question 26

Natural Correlation

Answer 26

A correlation that is observed in the natural world

Question 27

Third-Variable Problem

Answer 27

The fact that the natural correlation between two variables cannot be taken as evidence of a casual relationship between them because a third variable might be causing them both

Question 28

Experimentation

Answer 28

A technique for establishing the casual relationship between variables

Question 29

Manipulation

Answer 29

A technique for determining the casual power of a variable by actively changing its value

Question 30

Independant Variable

Answer 30

The variable that is manipulated during an experiment

Question 31

Dependant Variable

Answer 31

The variable that is measured in an experiment

Question 32

Self-Selection

Answer 32

A problem that occurs when anything about a participant determines the value of the independent variable to which the participant was exposed

Question 33

Random Assignment

Answer 33

A procedure that assigns participants to conditions by chance

Question 34

Internal Validity

Answer 34

An attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish casual relationships

Question 35

External Validity

Answer 35

An attribute of an experiment in which variables have been operationally defined in a representative way The extent to which you can generalize the findings of a study

Question 36

Case Method

Answer 36

A procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual

Question 37

Random Sampling

Answer 37

A technique for selecting participants that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample

Question 38

Replication

Answer 38

An experiment that uses the same procedures as a previous experiment but with a new sample from the same population

Question 39

Type I Error

Answer 39

An error that occurs when researchers conclude that there is a causal relationship between two variables when in reality there is not

Question 40

Type II Error

Answer 40

An error that occurs when researchers conclude that there is not a casual relationship between two variables when in reality there is

Question 41

Informed Consent

Answer 41

A verbal agreement to participate in a study made by an adult who has been informed of all the risks that participation may entail

Question 42

Debriefing

Answer 42

A verbal description of the true nature and purpose of a study