Chapter Two - Research Methods

Question 1

Base Rate

Answer 1

How common a characteristic or behaviour is in the general population.

Question 2

Between-subjects design

Answer 2

In an experiment, researchers assign different groups to the control or experimental condition.

Question 3

Blind

Answer 3

Being unaware of whether one is in the experimental or control group.

Question 4

Case Study

Answer 4

Research design that examines one person or a small number of people in depth, often over an extended time period.

Question 5

Central Tendency

Answer 5

Measure of the central scores in a data set, or where the group tends to cluster.

Question 6

Control Group

Answer 6

In an experiment, the group of participants that doesn’t receive the manipulation.

Question 7

Correlational Design

Answer 7

Research design that examines the extent to which two variables are associated.

Question 8

Demand Characteristics

Answer 8

Cues that participants pick up from a study that allows them to generate guesses regarding the researcher’s hypotheses.

Question 9

Dependent Variable

Answer 9

Variable that an experimenter measures to see whether the manipulation had an effect.

Question 10

Descriptive Statistics

Answer 10

Numerical characterizations that describe data.

Question 11

Double-Blind

Answer 11

When neither researchers nor participants are aware of who’s in the experimental or control group.

Question 12

Existence Proofs

Answer 12

Demonstration that a given psychological phenomenon can occur.

Question 13

Experiment

Answer 13

Research design characterized by random assignment of participants to conditions and manipulation of an independent variable.

Question 14

Experimental Group

Answer 14

In an experiment, the group of participants that receives the manipulation.

Question 15

Experimenter Expectancy Effect

Answer 15

Phenomenon in which researcher’s hypotheses lead them to unintentionally bias the outcome of a study.

Question 16

External Validity

Answer 16

Extent to which we can generalize findings to real world settings.

Question 17

Heuristic

Answer 17

Mental shortcut or rule of thumb that helps us streamline our thinking and make sense of the world.

Question 18

Illusory Correlation

Answer 18

Perception of a statistical association between two variables where none exists.

Question 19

Independent Variable

Answer 19

Variable that an experimenter manipulates.

Question 20

Inferential Statistics

Answer 20

Mathematical methods that allow us to determine whether we can generalize findings from our sample to the full population.

Question 21

Informed Consent

Answer 21

Informing research participants of what is involved in a study before asking them to participate.

Question 22

Internal Validity

Answer 22

Extent to which we can draw cause and effect inferences from a study.

Question 23

Meta - Analysis

Answer 23

Statistical method that helps researches interpret large bodies of psychological literature.

Question 24

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 24

Watching behaviour in real-world settings without trying to manipulate the situation.

Question 25

Operational Definition

Answer 25

A working definition of what a researcher is measuring.

Question 26

Placebo Effect

Answer 26

Improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement.

Question 27

Prefrontal Lobotomy

Answer 27

Surgical procedure that severs fibres connecting the frontal lobes of the brain from the underlying thalamus. Useless procedure.

Question 28

Random Assignment

Answer 28

Randomly sorting participants into groups.

Question 29

Random Selection

Answer 29

Procedure that ensures every person in a population has an equal chance of being chosen to participate.

Question 30

Reliability

Answer 30

Consistency of measurement.

Question 31

Response Sets

Answer 31

Tendency of research participants to distort their responses to questionnaire items.

Question 32

Standard Deviation

Answer 32

Measure of variability that takes into account how far each data point is from the mean.

Question 33

Statistics

Answer 33

Application of mathematics to describing and analyzing data.

Question 34

Validity

Answer 34

Extent to which a measure assesses what it purports to measure.

Question 35

Variability

Answer 35

Measure of how loosely or tightly bunched scores are.

Question 36

Within-Subject Design

Answer 36

In an experiment, each participant acts as their own control.

Question 37

System One Thinking

Answer 37

Intuitive thinking Tends to be rapid, relies on hunches.

Question 38

System Two Thinking

Answer 38

Analytical Thinking Tends to be slow and rely on thoughtful examination of issues.

Question 39

Correlation Coefficients

Answer 39

Statistic that psychologists use to measure correlations. Ranges in value from -1.0 - 1.0. A correlation coefficient of - 1.0 is a perfect negative correlation. 1.0+ is a perfect positive correlation. To know its strength, find the absolute value.

Question 40

Interrater Reliability

Answer 40

The extent to which people who conduct behavioural observations agree on the characteristics they are measuring.

Question 41

Self-Report Measures

Answer 41

A type of survey, questionnaire, or poll in which respondents reason the question and select a response by themselves without interference.

Question 42

Malingering

Answer 42

The tendency to make ourselves appear psychologically disturbed with the aim of achieving a personal goal.

Question 43

Halo Effect

Answer 43

When rating others one positive characteristic can influence the ratings of other positive characteristics.

Question 44

Horns Effect

Answer 44

When rating of one negative trait can spill over to influence the ratings of other negative traits.

Question 45

Nocebo Effect

Answer 45

Harm resulting from the mere expectation of harm.

Question 46

Sharpening

Answer 46

The tendency to exaggerate the central message of the study.

Question 47

Leveling

Answer 47

The tendency to minimize the less central details of a study.

Question 48

Pseudo-symmetry

Answer 48

The false impression given by the mass media that scientists are equally divided on an issue.

Question 49

Precognition

Answer 49

Acquiring knowledge of future events before they occur through paranormal means, that is mechanisms that lie outside of traditional science.

Question 50

Clairvoyance

Answer 50

Detecting the presence of objects or people that are hidden from view.