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AP Psychology > Unit 0 > Flashcards

Unit 0 Flashcards

Research methods, the experimental method, selecting a research method, statistical analysis, ethical guidelines, (69 cards)

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1
Q

What is Qualitative Data

A

Non-numeric data

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2
Q

What is Quantitative Data

A

Numerical data

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3
Q

Descriptive Research Methods can be ________ and cannot be used to ________.

A
  • can be either qualitative or quantitative
  • cannot be used to establish cause/effect relationships
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4
Q

What do experimental methods involve?

2 answers

A
  • independent variables
  • dependent variables
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5
Q

What are some strengths of running an experiment?

2 answers

A
  • control over the situation
  • addresses cause/effect relationships
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6
Q

What is the weakness of running an experiment?

1 answer

A

Generalizability

The study may not reflect the real world due to the controlled setting

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7
Q

What is a correlational study?

A

A study to find out if two variables are related and how

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8
Q

What are the strengths to correlational studies?

3 answers

A
  • shows strength of the relationship between variables
  • can be used to predict future behavior
  • can be done with existing data, variables that cannot be manipulated or are unethical to manipulate
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9
Q

What can correlational studies not do?

1 answer

A

Determine a Cause/Effect relationship

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10
Q

Correlation does not equal causation

A

Just because two things are related, doesn’t mean that they change each other

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11
Q

What is naturalistic observation?

A

When researches collect observations of natural, ongoing behavior

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12
Q

What are the strengths of naturalistic observation?

2 answers

A
  • all factors may influence behavior
  • applicable to the real world
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13
Q

What are the weaknesses to naturalistic observation?

4 answers

A
  • potential subject bias
  • privacy issues
  • can’t determine cause/effect relationships
  • time consuming
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14
Q

What is a case study?

A

An in depth investigation of an individual or small group who have a highly unusual trait

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15
Q

What are the strengths to case studies?

2 answers

A
  • documents phenomena
  • leads to hypotheses and questions for future research
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16
Q

What are the weaknesses to case studies?

2 answers

A
  • retrospective bias*
  • limited generalizability

*researchers inflate the importance of events that SEEM relevant and overlook events that do not SEEM relevant

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17
Q

What do surveys and questionnaires provide?

1 answer

A

Self-report data

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18
Q

What are some strengths to surveys and questionnaires?

2 answers

A
  • easily administered
  • efficient for gathering lots of data
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19
Q

What are the weaknesses to surveys and questionnaires?

2 answers

A
  • selection bias/sampling bias
  • memory distortions
  • etc.
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20
Q

What is a longitudinal study?

A

A study of the same group over a long period of time

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21
Q

What are the strengths of longitudinal studies?

4 answers

A
  • details over lifetime
  • order of events
  • reducing recall bias
  • patterns of change
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22
Q

What are the weaknesses of longitudinal studies?

5 answers

A
  • reduction of sample size over time
  • conditioning
  • limits of representivity
  • cost
  • timelines
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23
Q

What is a cross-sectional study?

A

A study that compares different age groups at one time

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24
Q

What are some strengths to cross-sectional studies?

3 answers

A
  • prove/disprove assumptions
  • inexpensive and not time consuming
  • captures a specific point in time
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25
What are the weaknesses to cross-sectional studies? | 2 answers
- limited timeline - can't determine cause/effect
26
What can qualitative research methods capture that quantitative research methods cannot? | 1 answer
Complex experiences
27
What is generalizability?
how you can apply the results of a study to the world
28
Name all the research methods | Hint: There are 8
- experiments - correlational studies - naturalistic observation - case studies - surveys/questionnaires - longitudinal studies - cross-sectional studies - qualitative research methods
29
What are the basic concepts of the scientific method? | 2 answers
- theories - hypothesis
30
What is a theory?
Coherent sets of concepts that explain a phenomenon
31
What is a hypothesis?
Testable statements about the relationship between two variables
32
What is a variable?
Any factor that can take on different values
33
What is an independent variable?
Something the researcher manipulates
34
What is a dependent variable?
Outcomes of the independent variable
35
A true independent variable is where the researcher... | 2 answers
- manipulates it - assigns participants to a condition
36
Quasi-Indepenedent Variable
specifically selected people for having a certain trait or property.
37
What are cofounding variables?
Uncontrolled variables that affect the outcome of the experiment.
38
What are the two groups in an experiment? | 2 answers
- experimental group - control group
39
What is an experimental group?
Group receiving the "treatment"
40
What is a control group?
Group given the placebo
41
What is a true experiment? | 2 answers
- uses true independent variables - can establish cause/effect relationships
42
Describe a quasi-experiment | 2 answers
- treats subject variables like independent variables - no cause/effect relationships
43
What is sampling?
The way a researcher selects participants from a population
44
What are the reasons you should avoid biased samples? | 2 answers
Biased samples: - undermine the validity of the results - limits generalization
45
What do you call the entire group of people you are interested in studying?
Population
46
What is the subset of participants selected from the population called?
Sample
47
What is a representative sample?
A sample that reflects the characteristics of the population
48
Which type of sampling has the chance for any individual in the population to be picked?
Random Sampling
49
What is convenience sampling?
Sampling where the researcher picks participants who are available
50
What does validity mean in research?
When operational definition = what's being studied
51
What is internal validity?
Results of a study reflect the effects of the variables being studied
52
Controlling for validity includes... | 3 answers
- blind study - double blind study - counterbalancing
53
What is external validity
If the results can be generalized
54
What are the two types of statistics?
- Decriptive stats - Inferential stats
55
What are descriptive stats?
Tools used to summarize and describe the main features of a large dataset
56
What are inferential stats? | 2 answers
Determines if results are - statistically significant - generalizable
57
What is a frequency distribution?
A way to summarize how often values occur in data, revealing important characteristics in the data. Example: Class: Frequency: 10-12 1 13-15 3 16-18 2
58
What is the measure of central tendency or mean?
The average of how people scored
59
What is a median?
The middle score of the dataset
60
What is a mode?
Data that occurs most in a dataset
61
What are two ways to measure variability?
- range - standard deviation
62
What is range?
Distance between the highest and lowest score
63
What is standard deviation?
Average distance of data points from the mean
64
When describing frequency distributions, what does the x-axis represent?
possible scores
65
When describing frequency distributions, what does the y-axis represent?
frequency of occurence
66
For symmertrical distributions (or normal curves), what does the mean equal?
the median
67
Describe a positive skew
most data is on the left
68
Describe a negative skew
most data is on the right
69
What are the 5 highlights of the APA Ethics Code?
- informed consent - freedom to withdraw - protection from harm or discomfort (NO HURTING PEOPLE!!) - confidentiality - debriefing

AP Psychology (4 decks)

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