Chapter 2 Key Terms

Question 1

method of research using past records or data sets to answer various research questions, or to search for interesting patterns or relationships

Answer 1

archival research

Question 2

reduction in number of research participants as some drop out of the study over time

Answer 2

attrition

Question 3

changes in one variable cause the changes in the other variable; can be determined only through an experimental research design

Answer 3

cause-and-effect relationship

Question 4

observational research study focusing on one or a few people

Answer 4

clinical or case study

Question 5

tendency to ignore evidence that disproves ideas or beliefs

Answer 5

confirmation bias

Question 6

unanticipated outside factor that affects both variables of interest, often giving the false impression that changes in one variable causes changes in the other variable, when, in actuality, the outside factor causes changes in both variables

Answer 6

confounding variable

Question 7

serves as a basis for comparison and controls for chance factors that might influence the results of the study—by holding such factors constant across groups so that the experimental manipulation is the only difference between groups

Answer 7

control group

Question 8

relationship between two or more variables; when two variables are correlated, one variable changes as the other does

Answer 8

correlation

Question 9

number from -1 to +1, indicating the strength and direction of the relationship between variables, and usually represented by r

Answer 9

correlation coefficient

Question 10

compares multiple segments of a population at a single time

Answer 10

cross-sectional research

Question 11

when an experiment involved deception, participants are told complete and truthful information about the experiment at its conclusion

Answer 11

debriefing

Question 12

purposely misleading experiment participants in order to maintain the integrity of the experiment

Answer 12

deception

Question 13

results are predicted based on a general premise

Answer 13

deductive reasoning

Question 14

variable that the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had

Answer 14

dependent variable

Question 15

experiment in which both the researchers and the participants are blind to group assignments

Answer 15

double-blind study

Question 16

grounded in objective, tangible evidence that can be observed time and time again, regardless of who is observing

Answer 16

empirical

Question 17

group designed to answer the research question; blank manipulation is the only difference between the blank and control groups, so any differences between the two are due to blank - manipulation rather than chance

Answer 17

experimental group

Question 18

researcher expectations skew the results of the study

Answer 18

experimenter bias

Question 19

objective and verifiable observation, established using evidence collected through empirical research

Answer 19

fact

Question 20

able to be disproven by experimental results

Answer 20

falsifiable

Question 21

inferring that the results for a sample apply to the larger population

Answer 21

generalize

Question 22

tentative and testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables

Answer 22

hypothesis (plural: hypotheses)

Question 23

seeing relationships between two things when in reality no such relationship exists

Answer 23

illusory correlation

Question 24

variable that is influenced or controlled by the experimenter; in a sound experimental study, the blank is the only important difference between the experimental and control group

Answer 24

independent variable

Question 25

conclusions are drawn from observations

Answer 25

inductive reasoning

Question 26

process of informing a research participant about what to expect during an experiment, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s consent to participate

Answer 26

informed consent

Question 27

committee of administrators, scientists, veterinarians, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving non-human animals

Answer 27

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Question 28

committee of administrators, scientists, and community members that reviews proposals for research involving human participants

Answer 28

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Question 29

measure of agreement among observers on how they record and classify a particular event

Answer 29

inter-rater reliability

Question 30

studies in which the same group of individuals is surveyed or measured repeatedly over an extended period of time

Answer 30

longitudinal research

Question 31

observation of behaviour in its natural setting

Answer 31

naturalistic observation

Question 32

two variables change in different directions, with one becoming larger as the other becomes smaller; a blank correlation is not the same thing as no correlation

Answer 32

negative correlation

Question 33

when observations may be skewed to align with observer expectations

Answer 33

observer bias

Question 34

description of what actions and operations will be used to measure the dependent variables and manipulate the independent variables

Answer 34

operational definition

Question 35

personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate

Answer 35

opinion

Question 36

subjects of psychological research

Answer 36

participants

Question 37

article read by several other scientists (usually anonymously) with expertise in the subject matter, who provide feedback regarding the quality of the manuscript before it is accepted for publication

Answer 37

peer-reviewed journal article

Question 38

people’s expectations or beliefs influencing or determining their experience in a given situation

Answer 38

placebo effect

Question 39

overall group of individuals that the researchers are interested in

Answer 39

population

Question 40

two variables change in the same direction, both becoming either larger or smaller

Answer 40

positive correlation

Question 41

method of experimental group assignment in which all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group

Answer 41

random assignment

Question 42

subset of a larger population in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

Answer 42

random sample

Question 43

consistency and reproducibility of a given result

Answer 43

reliability

Question 44

repeating an experiment using different samples to determine the research’s reliability

Answer 44

replicate

Question 45

subset of individuals selected from the larger population

Answer 45

sample

Question 46

experiment in which the researcher knows which participants are in the experimental group and which are in the control group

Answer 46

Single blind study

Question 47

determines how likely any difference between experimental groups is due to chance

Answer 47

statistical analysis

Question 48

list of questions to be answered by research participants—given as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally—allowing researchers to collect data from a large number of people

Answer 48

survey

Question 49

well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena

Answer 49

theory

Question 50

accuracy of a given result in measuring what it is designed to measure

Answer 50

validity