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Psychology 111 > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is empiricism?

A

The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation

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2
Q

What is the scientific method?

A

A seat of principles about the appropriate relationship between ideas and evidence; Ibn al-Haytham (father of scientific method)

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3
Q

What is a theory?

A

A hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomena; fThe rule of parsimony

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4
Q

What is the rule of parsimony?

A

The simplest theory that explains all of the evidence is the best one

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5
Q

What is an hypothesis?

A

A falsifiable prediction made by a theory

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6
Q

What is the empirical method?

A

A set of rules and techniques for observation; must use methods of observation and methods of explanation

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7
Q

Why are people difficult to study?

A

Complexity, variability, and reactivity

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8
Q

What does it mean to observe?

A

To use one’s senses to learn about the properties of an event or object

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9
Q

What is the operational definition of a measurement?

A

A description of a property in concrete, measurable terms

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10
Q

What is validity?

A

The extent to which a measurement and a property are conceptually related

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11
Q

What is reliability?

A

The tendency for a measure to produce the same measurement whenever it is used to measure the same thing

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12
Q

What is power?

A

The ability of a measure to detect the concrete conditions specified in the operational definition

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13
Q

What are demand characteristics?

A

Those aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think they should

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14
Q

What is a Naturalistic Observation?

A

A technique for gathering scientific information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments (use of blind conditions)

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15
Q

What is Observer Bias?

A

When the expectations of the observer influence observations and perceptions of reality

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16
Q

What is a double blind?

A

When an observation’s true purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed

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17
Q

What is frequency distribution?

A

A graphical representation of measurements arranged by the number of times each measurement was made

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18
Q

What is normal distribution?

A

Mathematically defined frequency distribution where most measurements are around the middle

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19
Q

What are skewed distributions?

A

Non normal

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20
Q

What are descriptive statistics?

A

Mode (most common); Mean (average value); Median (value that’s in the middle); describes the central tendency

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21
Q

What are variability statistics?

A

Range (value of largest-smallest); Standard deviation

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22
Q

What is standard deviation?

A

A statistic that describes the average difference between the measurements in a frequency distribution and the mean of that distribution

23
Q

What is the ultimate goal of scientific research?

A

To discover causal relationships between properties

24
Q

What is a variable?

A

A property whose value can vary across individuals or over time

25
Q

What is a correlation?

A

When variations in one variable are are synchronized with variations in the value of the other

26
Q

What is a positive correlation?

A

When both variables increase or decrease

27
Q

What is a negative correlation?

A

When one variable increases and the other decreases

28
Q

What is a correlation coefficient?

A

The measure of the direction and strength of a correlation (r); r ranges from -1.0 (perfect negative) to +1.0 (perfect positive), with r=0 being no correlation

29
Q

What are natural correlations?

A

correlations observed in the world around us (causation)

30
Q

What is the third variable problem?

A

The fact that two variables are correlated only because each is causally related to a third variable

31
Q

What is a matched sample?

A

A technique whereby the participants in two groups are identical in terms of a third variable

32
Q

What are matched pairs?

A

A technique whereby each participant is identical to one other participant in terms of a third variable

33
Q

What is experimentation?

A

A technique for establishing the causal relationship between variables

34
Q

What is manipulation?

A

The creation of an artificial pattern of variation in a variable in order to determine its causal powers

35
Q

The independent variable…

A

is manipulated

36
Q

The dependent variable…

A

is measured

37
Q

What is a random assignment?

A

A procedure that uses a random event to assign people to the experimental or control group

38
Q

What is the experimental group?

A

The group of people who are treated in a particular way in an experiment

39
Q

What is the control group?

A

The group of people who are not treated in the particular way that the experimental group is treated in an experiment

40
Q

What is self selection?

A

A problem that occurs when anything about a person determines whether they will be in the control or experimental group

41
Q

What are the two main features of an experiment?

A

Manipulation and random assignment

42
Q

What are the main steps in an experiment?

A

Manipulate, measure, produce changes in the dependent variable

43
Q

How is statistical significance determined?

A

When we calculate the odds that random assignment has failed, through inferential statistics; not accepted unless that chance is

44
Q

What is internal validity?

A

The characteristic of an experiment that established the causal relationship between variables

45
Q

What is external validity?

A

The property of an experiment in which the variables have been operationally defined in a normal, typical, or realistic way; representative of the real world;

46
Q

What is a population?

A

The complete collection of participants who might possibly be measured

47
Q

What is a sample?

A

The partial collection of people drawn from a population

48
Q

What is a case method?

A

A procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual; not random; particular individual picked for specific reason

49
Q

What is critical thinking?

A

Involves asking tough questions about whether evidence has been interpreted in an unbiased way

50
Q

What is the trouble with critical thinking?

A

We see what we expect and want; we consider what we see and ignore what we don’t

51
Q

What is dogmatism?

A

Relying on assumptions and beliefs about the world

52
Q

What should be on the x axis for frequency distribution?

A

The test scores

53
Q

What is random sampling?

A

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

Psychology 111 (4 decks)

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