Chapter 2 Key Terms [Research & Study]

Question 1

empiricism

Answer 1

the belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation

Question 2

scientific method

Answer 2

a procedure for finding truth by using empirical evidence

Question 3

theory

Answer 3

a hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomenon

Question 4

hypothesis

Answer 4

a falsifiable predictable made by a theory

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 concrete, measurable terms

Question 7

instrument

Answer 7

anything that can detect the condition to which an operational definition regers

Question 8

validity

Answer 8

the goodness with which a concrete event defines a property

Question 9

reliability

Answer 9

the tendency for an instrument to produce the same measurement whenever it is used to measure the same thing

Question 10

power

Answer 10

an instrument’s ability to detect small magnitudes of the property

Question 11

demand characteristics

Answer 11

those aspects of an observation setting that cause people to behave as they think someone else wants or expects

Question 12

naturalistic observation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

double-blind

Answer 13

an observation whose true purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed (avoids observer bias)

Question 14

variable

Answer 14

a property whose value can vary across individuals or over time

Question 15

correlation

Answer 15

two variables are said to “be correlated” when variations in the value of one variable are synchronized with variations in the value of the other

Question 16

natural correlations

Answer 16

a correlation observed in the world around us

Question 17

third-variable correlation

Answer 17

two variables are correlated only because each is casually related to a third variable

Question 18

third-variable problem

Answer 18

the fact that a casual relationship between two variables cannot be inferred from the naturally occurring correlation between them because of the ever-present possibility of third-variable correlation

Question 19

experiment

Answer 19

a technique for establishing the casual relationship between variables

Question 20

manipulation

Answer 20

changing a variable in order to determine its casual power

Question 21

independent variable

Answer 21

the variable that is manipulated in an experiment

Question 22

experimental group

Answer 22

the group of people who are exposed to a particular manipulation, as compared to the control group, in an experiment

Question 23

contrl group

Answer 23

the group of people who are not exposed to the particular manipulation, as compared to the experimental group, in an experiment

Question 24

dependent variable

Answer 24

the variable that is measured in a study

Question 25

self-selection

Answer 25

a problem that occurs when anything about a person determine whether he or she will be included in the experimental or control group

Question 26

random assignment

Answer 26

a procedure that lets chance assign people to the experimental or control group

Question 27

internal validity

Answer 27

an attribute of an experiment that allows it to establish causal relationships

Question 28

external validity

Answer 28

an attribute of an experiment in which variables have been defined in a normal, typical, or realistic way

Question 29

population

Answer 29

a complete collection of participants who might possibly be measured

Question 30

sample

Answer 30

a partial collection of people drawn from a population

Question 31

case method

Answer 31

a procedure for gathering scientific information by studying a single individual

Question 32

random sampling

Answer 32

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

Question 33

informed consent

Answer 33

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

Question 34

debriefing

Answer 34

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