Chapter 2 Scientific Methods

Question 1

Data Collection Process

Answer 1

hypothesis, method, results, interpretation, replicability

Question 2

Triangulation

Answer 2

examining converging information from different sources (qualitative and quantitative research)

Question 3

hypothesis

Answer 3

a clear predictive statement; a simple language, testable, if/then

Question 4

Method

Answer 4

how a researcher tests their hypothesis, data collection; qualitative (narrative description), quantitative (numerical values)

Question 5

Results

Answer 5

Information collected by the researcher in an attempt to resolve their hypothesis

Question 6

Interpretation

Answer 6

the “discussion” section of a research paper, where author’s unpack the meaning behind the results

Question 7

Replicability

Answer 7

results should be the same if you recreate the procedures. If it is not replicable results happened by chance or errors were made

Question 8

Meta-Analyses

Answer 8

avoids the issue of replicability

Question 9

Falsifiable

Answer 9

state in such clear, precise terms that we can see what evidence would count against it

Question 10

Burden of Proof

Answer 10

Obligation to present evidence to support one’s claim

Question 11

Population

Answer 11

group you want to know about

Question 12

Convenience Sample

Answer 12

Taken from some available subgroup in the population; not random and therefore may be biased

Question 13

Representative Sample

Answer 13

one that resembles the population

Question 14

Random Sample

Answer 14

taken at random from the population

Question 15

Cross-Cultural Sample

Answer 15

2+ cultures

Question 16

Operational Definitions

Answer 16

specific procedure for manipulating or measuring a conceptual variable (ex: IQ)

Question 17

Conceptual Variable

Answer 17

abstract and general, researcher “thinks up” or conceptualizes this variable. (what the researcher truly wants to measure) ex: intelligence

Question 18

Types of Observational Research

Answer 18

Naturalistic Observations, Correlational Studies, Case Histories, Surveys

Question 19

Observational Research

Answer 19

Does not always involve literal observations however the goal is to describe people and their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (descriptive research)

Question 20

Naturalistic Observations

Answer 20

Entails monitoring and describing subject’s behavior without intervening

Question 21

Interrater Reliability

Answer 21

degree to which multiple observers agree on their observations

Question 22

Correlational Studies

Answer 22

goal is to determine relations between the variables such as how similar or distinct are 2 variables or how well does one variable predict another variable

Question 23

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 23

statistic or measure of association, reflects magnitude (numerical value) and direction (positive or negative) of relationship between 2 variables

Question 24

Case Histories

Answer 24

a thorough description of someone including: abilities/disabilities, medical condition, life history, unusual experiences, whatever else seems relevant (also called case studies)
think of phineas gage

Question 25

Surveys

Answer 25

involves people asking about their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors

Question 26

Social Desirability Bias

Answer 26

when people present themselves in a generally favorable fashion

Question 27

Experiment

Answer 27

Research that randomly assigns people to different conditions, thus enabling researchers to make strong inferences about how different conditions affect behavior

Question 28

Independent Variable

Answer 28

variable that is manipulated, hypothesized to cause an outcome

Question 29

Subject Variable

Answer 29

variable that represents a pre-existing difference between participants

Question 30

Dependent Variable

Answer 30

variable that is measured, hypothesized to be affected by an independent variable

Question 31

Random Assignment

Answer 31

assigning research participants to different groups randomly

Question 32

Control Condition

Answer 32

condition comparable to the experimental condition in every way except for that it lacks the one “ingredient” hypothesized to produce the expected effect on the dependant variable

Question 33

Types of Experiments

Answer 33

Experiments in the Lab, Experiments in the Field, Quasi Experiments, Natural Experiments

Question 34

Experiments in the Lab

Answer 34

conducted in settings in which environment can be controlled, participants can be carefully studied, control groups allow us to draw casual inferences with a good degree of certainty however can the casual inferences made from studying people in a laboratory be generalized in the real.

Question 35

Experiments in the Field

Answer 35

an experiment set up in the real world, often with participants who are not aware that they are in a study if any kind

Question 36

Natural Experiments

Answer 36

naturally occuring events or phenomena having somewhat different conditions that can be compared with almost as much rigor as in environments where the investigator manipulates the conditions

Question 37

Quasi Experiments

Answer 37

lacks random assignment to treatment or control group

Question 38

Internal Validity

Answer 38

confidence that only the manipulated variable could have produced the results

Question 39

Experimental Expectancy

Answer 39

experiment’s expectations about the results of an experiment affect her/his behavior toward a participant and thereby influence the participant’s responses

Question 40

Demand Characteristics

Answer 40

Participants form an interpretation of the purpose of the experiment and unconsciously change their behavior to fit that interpretation

Question 41

Statistically Significant

Answer 41

results that chance alone would be unlikely to produce

Question 42

Current Policies and Procedures

Answer 42

Role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), Importance of Informed Consent, Necessity for debriefing.

Question 43

External Validity

Answer 43

Experimental setup closely resembles real-life situations so that results can
safely be generalized to such situations but laboratory experiments often tradeoff an increase in internal validity for a decrease in external validity

Question 45

Self-Report

Answer 45

Involves asking people about their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors but they are not always accurate and may be misleading.

Question 46

Parsimony /Occam’s Razor

Answer 46

Stay open-minded, but don’t waste time on ideas that have no evidentiary support.

Question 47

Ganzfeld Procedure

Answer 47

Bem and Honorton (1994) found support and 14 other studies failed to find support (Milton & Wiseman, 1999) in Esp experiments. Lacks in both parsimony and replicability.