Research and Experiment Flashcards
(25 cards)
Survey
Technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes/behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative
Random sample of them
Advantages: quick, easy, and inexpensive
Disadvantages: possible low response rate, participants may lie
Correlational
Uses words like LINK, RELATIONSHIP
allows researchers to determine if there is a relationship between two variables
Does NOT involve manipulation of variables (examines how variables are related without the interference of the researcher
Statistical
Measure of the probability of the null hypothesis (no relationship between variables) being true compared to acceptable level of uncertainty regarding true answer
Whether or not the difference between groups can be attributed to chance of if it’s the results of experimental influences
Observation
Research where experimenter passively observes the behavior of participants without any attempt at intervention/manipulation of the behaviors being observed
Experiment
When there is a study conducted that investigates the direct effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable
Dependent variable
variable researchers measure, what is influenced by independent variable
Independent variable
variable experimenter manipulates
NOT changed by other variables
Conditioned response
in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus
Unconditioned response
In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned stimulus
In classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
Unconditioned stimulus
In classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally (naturally and automatically) triggers a response
Generalization
Can apply results of study to broader audience
For stimuli similar to conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses
Discrimination
learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus
Experimental Group
Subjects who receive the treatment or manipulation of the independent variable
Control Group
Subjects who do not receive any treatment or manipulation
Blind study
Where participants do not know whether they are in control/experimental group
Eliminates placebo effect
Double blind study
When neither experimenter/participants know which group participants belong
Central tendencies
A statistic that identifies a single value as representative of the entire distribution of data
May be measured in mean, median, and mode
Mean
arithmetic average of the scores in the data set
Median
Middle score when the data is ordered by size
Mode
Most frequently occurring score in data set
Positive/negative correlations/causations
Positive: direct relationship (independent/dependent variables move together in same direction)
Negative: inverse relationship (as one increases, the other decreases and vice versa)
Validity of an experiment
If it measures what it intended to measure
Internal validity: likelihood that differences in dependent variable are caused by independent variable rather that some other factor depends on how well methodology controls factors other than independent variable
External validity: ability to generalize results of a study to a wider population
Replicability
Measure of consistency
Is it repeatable?
