chapter 4 Flashcards
(57 cards)
dependent variable
In an experimental research study, the phenomenon that is measured and expected to be influenced.
independent variable
Phenomenon that is manipulated by the experimenter in a research study and expected to influence the dependent variable.
Internal validity
Extent to which the results of a research study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanation
External validity
Extent to which research study findings generalize, or apply, to people and settings not involved in the study.
testability
Ability of a hypothesis, for example, to be subjected to scientific scrutiny and to be accepted or rejected, a necessary condition for the hypothesis to be useful.
confound
Any factor occurring in a research study that makes the results uninterpretable because its effects cannot be separated from those of the variables being studied.
control group
Group of individuals in a research study who are similar to the experimental subjects in every way but are not exposed to the treatment received by the experimental group; their presence allows for a comparison of the differential effects of the treatment.
Analogue models
Approaches to research that use subjects who are similar to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions.
Randomization
Method for placing individuals into research groups that assures each one of an equal chance of being assigned to any group, to eliminate any systematic differences across groups.
generalizability
Extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study.
statistical significance
Probability that obtaining the observed research findings merely by chance is small.
clinical significance
Degree to which research findings have useful and meaningful applications to real problems.
patient uniformity myth
Tendency to consider all members of a category as more similar than they are, ignoring their individual differences
In a treatment study, the introduction of the treatment to the participants is referred to as the
independent variable
After the treatment study was completed, you found that many people in the control group received treatment outside of the study. This is called a
confound
A researcher’s guess about what a study might find is labelled the
hypothesis
Scores on a depression scale improved for a treatment group after therapy. The change in these scores would be referred to as a change in the
dependent variable
correlation
Degree to which two variables are associated. In a positive correlation, the two variables increase or decrease together; in a negative correlation, one variable decreases as the other increases.
positive correlation
Association between two variables in which one increases as the other increases
negative correlation
Association between two variables in which one increases as the other decreases.
correlation coefficient
Computed statistic reflecting the strength and direction of any association between two variables. It can range from +1.XXX through zero (indicating no association) to −1.XXX, with the absolute value indicating the strength, and the sign reflecting the direction.
epidemiology
Psychopathology research method examining the prevalence, distribution, and consequences of disorders in populations.
placebo control groups
In outcome experiments, control groups that do not receive the experimental manipulation but are given a similar procedure with an identical expectation of change, allowing the researcher to assess any placebo effect.
comparative treatment research
Outcome research that contrasts two or more treatment methods to determine
