Methods

Question 1

Hindsight bias

Answer 1

The tendency of people upon hearing about research findings or information that they ‘knew it all along’.

Question 2

Applied research

Answer 2

Explores questions that have clear, practical applications.

Question 3

Basic research

Answer 3

Explores questions that are of interest but are not intended to have immediate, real-world applications.

Question 4

Hypothesis

Answer 4

Explains a relationship between two variables.

Question 5

Dependent variable

Answer 5

Change in the dependent variable depends on change in the independent variable; measured for results.

Question 6

Independent variable

Answer 6

Change in the independent variable produces change in the dependent variable.

Question 7

Theory

Answer 7

Aims to explain some phenomenon and allows researchers to generate testable hypotheses in order to collect data that support the theory.

Question 8

Operational definition

Answer 8

Explains how a variable will be measured; defines the measures of a variable.

Question 9

Valid

Answer 9

Research is valid when it measures what the researcher set out to measure.

Question 10

Reliable

Answer 10

Research is reliable when it is consistent and can be replicated to get similar results.

Question 11

Sampling

Answer 11

Process by which participants in an experiment are selected. Sample must be:

1) Random
2) Large population
3) Representative of population wanted

Question 12

Confounding variable

Answer 12

Any difference between the experimental and control conditions besides the independent variable that might affect the dependent variable.

Question 13

Experimenter bias

Answer 13

A type of confounding variable in which researchers treat members of the experimental and control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis.

Question 14

Double-blind procedure

Answer 14

Occurs when neither participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research; can eliminate experimenter bias.

Question 15

Single-blind procedure

Answer 15

Occurs when only the participants do not know which group they have been assigned; can lemonade response/participant bias.

Question 16

Response/participant bias

Answer 16

The tendency for subjects to behave in certain ways.

Question 17

Social Desirability

Answer 17

A type of response bias where there is a tendency to try to give answers that well reflect well upon them.

Question 18

Experimental group

Answer 18

The group that receives the treatment operationalized in the independent variable.

Question 19

Control group

Answer 19

The group that does not get the treatment of the independent variable.

Question 20

Hawthorne effect

Answer 20

A group’s performance is affected regardless of what is done to those individuals.

Question 21

Barnum effect

Answer 21

The tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate.

Question 22

Placebo method

Answer 22

A method that allows researches to separate the physiological effects of the drug from the psychological effects of people thinking they took a drug.

Question 23

Within Subjects Design

Answer 23

Using participants as their own control group; can cause order effects.

Question 24

Order effects

Answer 24

Participants may do better on the second test due to have taken the first test.

Question 25

Counterbalancing

Answer 25

Can solve order effects; half of the participants do the first part of the test and the other half of participants start with the second half of the test.

Question 26

Correlation

Answer 26

Expresses a relationship between two variables without ascribing cause; can be positive or negative.

Question 27

Positive correlation

Answer 27

The presence of one thing predicts the presence of the other.

Question 28

Negative correlation

Answer 28

A presence of one thing predicts the absence of another.

Question 29

Ex post facto study

Answer 29

All aspects of the research process are controlled; we choose subjects based on a pre-existing condition.

Question 30

Survey method

Answer 30

Can be used to investigate a relationship between two variables; neither variable is manipulated; while there are two variables, there is no independent or dependent variable.

Question 31

Naturalistic observation

Answer 31

Unobtrusive observation in which participate are observed in their natural habitats. Researchers do not impact the behaviors of the participants at all.

Question 32

Case study method

Answer 32

Used to get full, detailed picture of one participant or small group of participants. Case studies allow researchers to get richest picture of what they are studying; findings cannot be generalized to a larger population.

Question 33

International Review Board (IRB)

Answer 33

Research must be proposed to ethics board; reviews for ethical violations.