research_psych_20140218220905

Question 1

3 Methods of Acquiring Knowledge We Use to Make Sense of the World

Answer 1

1. Tenacity- holding to ideas and beliefs regardless of outside info
2. Intuition – holding to ideas that “feel right”
3. Authority (faith) – holding to ideas presented by an “expert”, popular figure, or a superior

Question 2

2 Additional Methods

Answer 2

1. Rational method – answering questions through logic

2. Empirical method – answering questions through direct observation/experience

Question 3

The Scientific Approach

Answer 3

Answering questions through systematic observations and verifiable results

Question 4

Assets of a Good Empirical Theory

Answer 4

TestableRefutableReplicablePositive – designed to prove something occurred despite high odds of nothing occurring (unless you are conducting a exploratory or refuting experiment)

Question 5

4 Common Mistakes in Choosing A Topic

Answer 5

1. Choosing something that is too broad
2. Choosing something that has already been studied
3. Settling on a topic before you determined if it was worth studying
4. Settling on a topic before you determined how you were going to study it

Question 6

Sources of Information in Research

Answer 6

Books- text books and topic specific booksJournal Articles- Empirical papers, Literature reviews, Secondary sources

Question 7

Primary and Secondary Sources

Answer 7

Primary sources – publications that describe original research—these articles are written by the primary researcher, include numbers and statistics, and are presented in a uniform manner
Secondary sources – publications that summarize one or multiple research topics—these articles are written by a collection of different types of authors, and only a select few statistics are usually presented in these sources

Question 8

Literature review

Answer 8

the process of obtaining information in journals and other scholarly resources in order to prepare for a research project

Question 9

A good research topic does one or more of the following:

Answer 9

Introduces a new idea that addresses a population of interestAdds to a current conversation on a topic of interestRe-assesses/re-examines past research on a topic of interest

Question 10

Applied research

Answer 10

research directed toward solving specific and practical problems

Question 11

Basic research

Answer 11

research directed toward solving theoretical questions and topics

Question 12

Variables

Answer 12

characteristics or conditions that change in values from individuals or situations

Question 13

Constructs

Answer 13

the hypothetical mechanisms or attributes that are proposed to impact behaviors

Question 14

Operational definitions

Answer 14

the systematic process of obtaining or measuring a construct

Question 15

Levels

Answer 15

the values that a construct can take on

Question 16

Conclusions about theories are limited by the accuracy of what?

Answer 16

operational definitions being accurate

Question 17

Continuous

Answer 17

variables that can assume an infinite number of values

Question 18

Discrete

Answer 18

variables that have a finite set of values that they can be

Question 19

Nominal vs Quantitative

Answer 19

Nominal variables – variables that have no numerical meaning Gender, Favorite Ice Cream
Quantitative variables – the levels of these variables that are represented as numbersCan be continuous or discrete (data dependent)Averages and other arithmetic transformations make sense

Question 20

Types of Quantitative

Answer 20

Ordinal – variables that have that have a natural order, but the precise distance between values is not defined (Grades, Rank in School
)Interval – variables that have values where the distance between them is meaningful and consistent (IQ Scores, Temperature in Fahrenheit)
Ratio variables – interval variables where there is a true zero and where ratios of values make sense (Income, Height, Temperature in Kelvin)

Question 21

Descriptive stats

Answer 21

tell us information about a sample

Question 22

Inferential Stats

Answer 22

make interpretations about larger groups based on a smaller set of information

Question 23

Population

Answer 23

a complete set of people, events, or scores that we’re interested in

Question 24

Sample

Answer 24

a subset or portion of that population

Question 25

Parameter

Answer 25

the measurable characteristic of the population that is of interest

Question 26

Statistic

Answer 26

the measurable characteristic of the sample of the population that we’re interested in

Question 27

Target population

Answer 27

the group of individuals that you are interested in studying

Question 28

Accessible population

Answer 28

the group of individuals that you have access to in your attempts to conduct an experiment

Question 29

Representative Sample

Answer 29

an experiment sample that represents the target population well

Question 30

Biased Sample

Answer 30

a sample with characteristics that are different from the target population

Question 31

Probability Sampling

Answer 31

selecting individuals for a research study sample that is based on knowledge of all of the members of a population, and an attempt to randomly equal chance of each member of the population being picked

Question 32

Simple Random Sampling

Answer 32

probability sampling where individuals of the population are listed and chosen at random

Question 33

Systematic Sampling

Answer 33

probability sampling where individuals of the population are listed, one subject is chosen at random, and then all subsequent individuals are chosen from a pre-determined method (e.g. every 4th individual)

Question 34

Stratified Random Sampling

Answer 34

choosing groups of interest in a population and sampling them equally

Question 35

Proportionate stratified random sampling

Answer 35

choosing groups of interest and sampling them based on their proportion in the population

Question 36

Nonprobability Sampling

Answer 36

sampling that is done when the population is not known and the sampling method is based on factors not related to chance

Question 37

2 types of non probability Sampling

Answer 37

Convenience sampling – sampling based on the availability of participants
Quota sampling – sampling based on availability, with the inclusion on restrictions that the sample be based on population or intended/statistical proportions

Question 38

3 types of Assignment Techniques

Answer 38

Random assignment – creating groups by giving each participant an equal chance of being in the experimental conditions/levels
Randomized block design (stratified assignment) – creating equivalent groups based on important characteristics
Convenient assignment – assignment of individuals based on experimenter discretion (note: this can be VERY bad if it’s a biased convenient assignment)

Question 39

Validity

Answer 39

accuracy of measurement with respect to intent

Question 40

5 types of validity

Answer 40

Construct Validity (face) – does the measurement look like measuring that we’re interested inNote the disagreement between me and the book here
Predictive Validity – does the measure predict related behavior/measures Aggression questionnaire predicting aggressive activity example
Concurrent Validity – does it relate to other measures that are supposed to be measuring the same thing Aggression questionnaire and aggression observation technique example
Convergent Validity – does it work in different contexts Aggression in school and aggression with family example
Divergent Validity – is the measure distinct from any other related measures Aggression and activity level example

Question 41

Reliability

Answer 41

consistency in measurement

Question 42

3 types of Reliability

Answer 42

Inter-rater reliability – consistency in scores between observers/measurersAggressiveness observations exampleTest-retest reliability – consistency in measurements across multiple tests over timeIQ test today and then a week later exampleInternal consistency – consistency in measurements across dimensions of the test
Split half reliability – testing reliability by creating equal halves of a test and determining the overlap between each individual’s scores
Parallel forms reliability – creating two different equivalent tests and determining the overlap between each individual’s scoresNote: only works if there are no carryover effects

Question 43

validity without reliability or reliability without validity?

Answer 43

reliability without validity!You can measure something stupid and invalid very accurately and reliable.

Question 44

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

Answer 44

Quantitative Research – research done with variables that can be compared. Statistical analyses must also be doable in your summary and interpretation
Qualitative Research – research done based on observations. The analyses of these projects can only be done in narrative report

Question 45

Research Trends (for reference)

Answer 45

Most qualitative research is done when we are examining a topic for the first timeQualitative research is usually based on small samples or even single subjectsQuantitative research is something that can definitively test a theory, but should be done when you have a theory to testNote: numerical information doesn’t automatically make a research project qualitative

Question 46

2 Types of Quantitative Research

Answer 46

Descriptive Research – research based on the acquisition of information about specific variables
Relationship research – research based on the strength of a link between variables

Question 47

2 Types of Relationship Research

Answer 47

Correlational research – research examining on the overlap between two variables
Comparison research – research examining the differences found in one variable, based on the differences in another variable (nominal or ordinal)

Question 48

2 Definitions of Validity

Answer 48

Earlier, validity was defined as “the ability for a variable obtained to accurately reflect the concept of interest”
Validity is also defined as “the degree to which the study accurately answers the question that it was intended to answer”

Question 49

2 New Types of Validity

Answer 49

Internal validity – validity established if the study produces a single, unambiguous explanation for the relationship between variables
External validity – validity established if the study’s results can be generalized to the population of interest

Question 50

Extraneous Variables

Answer 50

variables that are in a study that are not part of the hypothesized relationship

Question 51

Generalizibility

Answer 51

the extent that sample performance represents that of the population

Question 52

Experimenter Bias

Answer 52

an event that occurs when the experimenter’s expectations and beliefs has influence the results of the study

Question 53

Demand Characteristic

Answer 53

an event that occurs when the participants react in unusual ways due to their recognition that they are in an experiment (good, negative, faithful, apprehensive)

Question 54

Passive deception

Answer 54

withholding information about the nature of the experiment

Question 55

Causation

Answer 55

an experimental goal of determining that changes in one variable had a direct impact on another variable

Question 56

Experimentation involves….

Answer 56

Manipulation, measurement, comparison, control