Test 2 Flashcards
(176 cards)
Theory
Coherent set of related concepts that seeks to organize and explain data.
Data
Information gathered from research.
Quantitative Development
Changes, occurring with age, in number or amount of something, such as how many items can be remembered.
Qualitative Development
Changes, occurring at successive times of life, in kind, nature, structure, or organization of phenomena, such as stages of development.
Metatheory
Hypothesis about the operation of the universe, which embraces a group of theories having similar assumptions and values.
Model
Concrete image or other representation of a theory, which helps in understanding meaningful relationships among data.
Mechanistic Perspective
Metatheory, based on the machine as a metaphor, that views development as a response to internal and external stimuli and studies phenomena by analyzing the operation of their component parts.
Information-Processing Theory
Study of mental processes that underlie intelligent behavior: these involve manipulation of symbols and perceptions to acquire, store, and retrieve information and solve problems.
Organismic Perspective
Metatheory that views development as internally initiated and controlled and as occurring in a universal sequence of qualitatively different stages culminating in full maturation.
Contextual Perspective
Metatheory that views development as the product of an ongoing process of interaction between an individual and the context within which the individual acts to achieve goals.
Valid
With regard to research, yielding conclusions appropriate to the phenomena and population under study.
Reliable
With regard to research method or tool, consistent in measuring performance.
Quantitative Research
Research that focuses on change in degree or amount, such as numbers of learning experiences.
Qualitative Research
Research that focuses on changes in kind, such as new behaviors or new stages. One example would be moving from preoperational stage to concrete operational stage.
Scientific Method
System of established principles and processes of scientific inquiry, including careful observation and recording of data, testing of alternative hypotheses, and widespread dissemination of findings and conclusions so that other scientists can check, analyze, repeat, learn from, and build on the results.
Sample
Group of research participants chosen to represent a population under study.
External Validity
Generalizability of experimental results beyond the study situation.
Random Selection
Technique used to ensure representativeness of a sample by giving each member of a population an equal chance to be selected.
Naturalistic Observation
Method of research in which people’s behavior is noted and recorded in natural settings without the observer’s intervention or manipulation.
Laboratory Observation
Research method in which the behavior of all participants is noted and recorded in the same situation, under controlled conditions.
Observer Bias
Tendency of an observer to misinterpret or distort data to fit his or her expectations.
Case Study
Research design covering a single case or life, based on observations, interviews, or biographical and documentary material.
Correlational Study
Research design intended to discover whether a statistical correlation can be calculated showing the direction and strength of a relationship between variables.
Variables
Phenomena that change or vary among members of a group, or can be varied for purposes of research.