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Week 2 + Chapter 2 Flashcards

Research Methods (73 cards)

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1
Q

Conceptual Variables

A

Tells you what the concept means. A conceptual variable is any construct/idea/concept/variable that we can conceptualize but not completely measure.

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2
Q

Operational Variables

A

Theoretical constructs that are stated in terms of concrete, observable procedures.
They are measurable.

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3
Q

Constructs

A

Internal attributes or characteristics that cannot be directly observed but are useful for describing and explaining behavior.

Examples of Constructs:
Intelligence

Self-esteem

Anxiety

Motivation

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4
Q

Construct examples

A

Anxiety

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5
Q

What are some physical measures of the construct; anxiety

A

Physiological measure, behavioral measure, self-reported measure

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6
Q

What are the three main categories of research methods?

A

Descriptive Method, correlational method and experimental method

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7
Q

Objectivity

A

The practise of basing conclusions on facts, without the influence of personal emotion and bias.

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8
Q

Subjectivity

A

Conclusions relfect personal points of view.

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9
Q

What do scientists strive to be and what do they rely on?

A

To be Objective and rely on observable, objective and repeatable evidence.

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10
Q

What study was done to look at objectivity and bias?

A

Hastorf and Cantril
About Princeton vs Dartmouth footbal game.

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11
Q

Confirmation Bias

A

The tendency to notice and remember instance that support your beliefs more than instances that contradict them.

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12
Q

Critical thinking

A

The ability to think clearly, rationally, and independently

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13
Q

Theories

A

A set of facts and relationships between facts that can explain and predictrelated phenomena.

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14
Q

How to develop a theory?

A

Hypothesis is systematically tested. Hypotheses that are not reject contribute to a theory.

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15
Q

Hypothesis

A

A proposed explanation for a situation, in the form of ‘‘If A happens, then B will result’’.

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16
Q

What is the Open Science Collaboration

A

Lead by Brian Nosek
Replication done of over 100 studies from well-respected scientific journals.
Found that only 36% of replications produced significant results.

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17
Q

Peer Review

A

The process of having other experts examine research prior to its publication.

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18
Q

Replication

A

Repeating an experiment and producing the same results.

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19
Q

Descriptive Method

A

Method designed for making careful, systematic observation;
- Survery’s
- Case Studies
- Observations

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20
Q

Correlation Method

A

Help psychologists see how two variables of interest reate to eachother.

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21
Q

Experimental Method

A

Used to determine the causes of behavior.

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22
Q

Operationalization

A

Defining constructs in ways that allow them to be measured (make them tangible).

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23
Q

Case Study

A

An in-depth analysis of the behaviors of one person or a small group of people.

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24
Q

Famous Case Study Example

A

H.M.

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25
Naturalistic Observation
An in-depth study of a phenomenon in its natural setting. Allows for a large sample size and generalized results.
26
Survey
A descriptive method in which participants are asked the same questions.
27
Sample
A subset of a population
28
Population
The entire group from which a sample is taken.
29
Focus Groups
A small, often deliberately chosen group of people who engage in a structures discussion on a topic.
30
Interview
An interaction in which participants are asked a predetermined set of questions by the researchers and are allowed to provide any sort of response they wish.
31
Measure
A method for describing a variable's quantity.
32
Third Variable
A third variable is responsible for a correlation observed between two other variables of interest. In the example of cyberbullying and video game preference, there may be a positive correlation between them, but we do not particularly know whether one is causing the other, or whether there is another variable (confounding variable) which is not being tested.
33
Experiment
A research method that tests hypotheses and allows researchers to make conclusions about causality.
34
Independent Variable
An experimental variable controlled and manipulated by the experimenter.
35
Dependent Variable
A measure that demonstrates the effects of an independent variable.
36
Control group
A group that experiences all experimental procedures, with the exception of exposure to the independent variable.
37
Experimental group
A group of participants who are exposed to the independent variable.
38
Random assignment
The procedure in which each participant has an equal chanceof being placed in any group in an experiment.
39
Why do we use random assignment?
It counteracts confounding variables
40
Meta-Analysis
A statistic analysis of many previous experiments on a single topic.
41
Publication Bias
The possibility that published studies are not representative works.
42
What are the three specific techniques for assessing the normal behaviors associated with age?
Cross-sectional, Longitudinal and Mix Longitudinal Design.
43
Cross-Sectional Study
An experimental design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained simultaneously from people of differing ages.
44
Longitudinal Study
An experimental design for assessing age-related changes in which data are obtained from the same individuals at intervals over a long period of time.
45
Mixed Longitudinal Design
A method for assessing age-related changes that combines the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches by observing a cross-section of participants over a shorter period that is used typically in longitudinal studies.
46
Descriptive Statistics
Statistical method that organize data into meaningful patterns and summaries, such as finding the average value.
47
Reliability
The consistency of a measure, including test-retest, interrater, inter-method and internal consistency.
48
Validity
A quality of a measure that leads to correct conclusions.
49
Inferential Statistics
Statistical methods that allow experimenters to extend conclusions from samples to larger populations.
50
Generalization
to extend conclusions to larger populations outside your research sample.
51
Null Hypothesis
A statement used in statistics that assumes no effect, no difference, or no relationship between variables. It serves as the default or starting assumption in hypothesis testing. Example: If you're testing a new therapy for anxiety, the null hypothesis might be: “The therapy has no effect on anxiety levels.”
52
What does rejecting the null hypothesis mean?
Suggests that alternative hypotheses should be explored and tested
53
What are the types of observation?
Naturalistic and Laboratory
54
Pros of Descriptive Methods
Provide important insights and stimulate further research to test specific hypotheses. Surveys allow us to gather large amounts of infromation. Can provide rich detailed data.
55
Disadvantages of Descriptive Methods?
Reactivity; idea that when people know they are being observed, they might change their behavior. Observer bias; researchers may have their own bias affecting the results. Self-report bias
56
Double-Blind
Both the participants and the experimenters who interact with them are unaware of which condition the participants are in.
57
Field Experiments
Experiments that occur in real-world settings rather than the laboratory.
58
Construct Validity
Operationalizations Is the construct of variables accurate?
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External Validity
Generalization How well would we expect the results of the study to generalize to people and context beyond the lab or study?
60
Internal Validity
Causality How well has the study established a cause-and-effect relationship between variables
61
Placebo
Inactive substance or treatment that cannot be distinguished from a real, active substance or treatment
62
Placebo Effect
A change in symptoms due to a participant's expectation that a drug or treatment will do something
63
Descriptive Research
Descriptive research seeks to describe characteristics of a phenomenon or population without manipulating any variables. It focuses on "what" is happening rather than "why." Observational studies (e.g., watching how children interact on a playground) Case studies (in-depth study of a single person or group) Surveys and questionnaires Interviews
64
Correlational Study
examines the relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them. It helps identify patterns or trends but does not imply causality.
65
Directionality problem
occurs in correlational studies when it's unclear which variable is causing the other. For example, it’s hard to say whether variable A causes B or vice versa.
66
correlation coefficient
a numerical value between -1 and +1 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. A positive value means the variables move in the same direction, while a negative value means they move in opposite directions.
67
Causal Claim
assert that one variable directly causes a change in another variable. These are typically made based on experimental evidence that demonstrates a clear cause-and-effect relationship.
68
Quasi-experiment
A quasi-experiment is a research design that resembles an experimental study but lacks random assignment. These studies are often used when random assignment is impractical or unethical.
69
Field experiment
A field experiment is an experiment conducted in a natural, real-world setting rather than a controlled laboratory, often providing greater ecological validity.
70
External Validity
External validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other settings, populations, or times.
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Internal Validity
Internal validity refers to the degree to which an experiment accurately measures the relationship between the variables without interference from other factors or confounds.
72
WEIRD Samples
stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. It refers to samples of participants often used in psychological studies, which are not representative of the global population.
73
Hawthorn Effect
when subjects of an experimental study attempt to change or improve their behavior simply because it is being evaluated or studied

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