Research Methods

Question 1

Hypothesis:

Answer 1

created to make sense
of phenomena and test them
-Educated guesses about the world
-Worded in an unambiguous form
◦ Testability

Question 2

Confounding variable

Answer 2

factor making
results uninterpretable

Question 3

Control group

Answer 3

people in experimental
group who are not exposed to IV

Question 4

Sampling bias

Answer 4

◦ Distortion that occurs when experiment participants
have not been drawn randomly from the relevant
population

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

Complete set of possible participants

Question 6

Sample

Answer 6

Small portion of a population that is examined in a study

Question 7

Internal validity

Answer 7

Confidence that
effects are due to the independent
variable

Question 8

External validity

Answer 8

Extent to which
the findings are generalizable

Question 9

Measuring methods

Answer 9

• Self-report measure: provide information about
  one’s own behavior
• Informant-report measure: someone who knows the
  child well provides information

Question 10

Structural brain imaging

Answer 10

• Magnetic resonance imaging
  (MRI) uses radio signals to
  produce fine-grained analyses of
  brain structures
• Coaxial tomography (CT) scan
  reveals various brain structures

Question 11

Functional brain imaging

Answer 11

• Functional magnetic resonance
  imaging (fMRI) registers neural
  activity in functioning areas of the
  brain
• Positron emission tomography
  (PET) scans assess cerebral
  glucose metabolism

Question 12

Positive correlation

Answer 12

higher scores in one variable = higher
scores on other variable

Question 13

Negative correlation

Answer 13

reversed relationship between two
variables

Question 14

Correlation coefficient

Answer 14

varies from –1.0 to +1.0

Question 15

Epidemiological studies

Answer 15

Reveal the incidence and prevalence of a disorder in a particular population

Question 16

Incidence

Answer 16

number of new cases in a given period

Question 17

Prevalence

Answer 17

total number of cases in a given period

Question 18

Longitudinal studies

Answer 18

Observe the same individuals on many occasions over a long period

Question 19

Retrospective effect

Answer 19

(looking back) provides inaccurate picture of how a disorder may have developed over time

Question 20

Double-blind control

Answer 20

participants and researchers unaware of placebo

Question 21

Manipulated variable =

Answer 21

independent variable

Question 22

Variable being observed =

Answer 22

dependent variable

Question 23

Informed consent

Answer 23

◦ Competence
◦ Voluntarism
◦ Full information
◦ Comprehension

Question 24

Response bias

Question 25

Social desirability

Answer 25

Answering questions in a way that respondents think makes them “look good” even if the responses are not true

Question 26

Experimenter expectancy effect

Answer 26

Intentionally or unintentionally treating participants in ways that encourage particular types of responses

Question 27

Reactivity

Answer 27

Behavior change that occurs when one becomes aware of being observed