Flashcards in Methods Deck (66)
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1
applied research
research with clear, practical applications
2
basic research
research that explores questions that are of interest of psychologists that are not intended to have immediate, real-world applications
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valid
measures what it's supposed to measure; accurate
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reliable
can be replicated, consistent
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hypothesis
a relationship between two variables
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variables
things that vary among the participants in the research
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dependent variable
depends on the independent variable
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theory
an explanation of some phenomenon, allows researchers to generate testable hypotheses
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operationalize
to explain how you will measure a variable
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subjects
the participants in research
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sampling
the process by which subjects are selected
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sample
group of subjects; should be representative of a larger population
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population
anyone or anything that could possibly be selected to be in the sample
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random selection
randomly selecting the sample group, increases the likelihood that the sample represents the population
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stratified sampling
randomly sampling each strata (category of people, for example race or gender) of the population, so that the final sample reflects the population more accurately
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laboratory experiment
conducted in a lab, a highly controlled environment
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field experiment
conducted in the world, more realistic than laboratory experiment
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experiment
only experiments can show cause and effect relationships through the manipulation of the independent variable and subsequent observation of the dependent variable while controlling for confounding variables
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confounding variable
any difference between the experimental and control conditions, besides the changes of the independent variable
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assignment
the process by which subjects are put into a group, experimental or control
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random assignment
each subject has an equal chance of being placed in either the experimental or the control group
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group matching
half of each condition (for example, male or female) is assigned to each group (experimental or control)
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situation-relevant confounding variables
differences between the experimental and control situations that may affect the experiment
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experimenter bias
the unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypotheses
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double-blind procedure
neither the subjects nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research
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single-blind procedure
only the subjects do not know which group they're in
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demand characteristics
cues about the purpose of the study
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response/subject bias
when subjects behave in ways they think the observer wants them to behave
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Hawthorne effect
selecting a group of people on whom to experiment will affect the performance of hat group, regardless of what is done to the individuals
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