Psych paper 2 Flashcards
(97 cards)
What is Psychology?
The systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes (thinking, feeling, doing).
Define Behavior in psychological terms.
Any observable action including thinking, feeling, and doing.
What is a Construct?
A hypothetical label used to explain a set of behaviors.
What does Operationalization refer to?
Defining a construct in a way that makes it observable and measurable.
What is a Research Task?
An activity or action used to measure a construct.
What is an Apparatus in research?
A tool used to collect or measure data.
Define Independent Variable (IV).
The variable that is manipulated by the researcher.
Define Dependent Variable (DV).
The variable that is measured to see the effects of the IV.
What are Control Variables?
Factors that are kept constant to avoid interfering with the IV-DV relationship.
What are Extraneous Variables?
Known external factors that could affect the results.
Define Confounding Variables.
Unknown factors discovered that confuse the relationship between IV and DV.
What is a Hypothesis?
A testable prediction about the outcome of a study.
What is a One-Tailed Hypothesis?
Predicts a specific direction of the effect.
What is a Two-Tailed Hypothesis?
Predicts a difference or relationship, but no specific direction is stated.
What does the Null Hypothesis predict?
No effect or no difference between variables.
Define Validity in research.
The truthfulness of the study — whether it measures what it intends to measure.
What does Reliability refer to in research?
The consistency of the study — whether it produces the same results over time or between observers.
What is Internal Validity?
Whether the results are caused by the IV and not by other factors.
Define External Validity.
Whether the results can be generalized beyond the study.
What is Ecological Validity?
Whether results apply to real-world settings.
What is Face Validity?
Whether a test appears to measure what it claims to measure.
Define Construct Validity.
Whether a test actually measures the intended construct.
What is Concurrent Validity?
Whether a new test’s results match an already validated measure.
What does Predictive Validity assess?
Whether a test can predict future outcomes.