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AP Psychology
Chapter 1: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
30
Psychology
12th Grade
05/09/2009

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Term
operational definition
Definition
statement of the procedures used to define research variables.
Term
critical thinking
Definition
thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, and assesses conclusions.
Term
survey
Definition
a technique for understanding the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a random, representative sample of them.
Term
independent variable
Definition
experimental factor that is being manipulated and studied.
Term
replication
Definition
repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants and indifferent situations to see whether the basic findings extend to other participants and circumstances.
Term
population
Definition
all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for study.
Term
statistical significance
Definition
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occured by chance.
Term
standard deviation
Definition
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score.
Term
mean
Definition
the arithmetic average of a distribution obtained by adding the scores and then dividing the number of scores.
Term
mode
Definition
the most frequently occuring score in a distribution.
Term
hypothesis
Definition
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory.
Term
case study
Definition
an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
Term
median
Definition
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it.
Term
false consensus effect
Definition
the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.
Term
hindsight bias
Definition
the tendency to believe after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen it.
Term
dependent variable
Definition
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of independent variable.
Term
theory
Definition
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations.
Term
range
Definition
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.
Term
random sample
Definition
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Term
naturalistic observation
Definition
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.
Term
correlation
Definition
a meaure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Term
scatterplot
Definition
a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables; the slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables; the amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation).
Term
experiment
Definition
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable); by random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control other relevant factors.
Term
double-blind procedure
Definition
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the participants have received the treatment or a placebo; commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.
Term
placebo effect
Definition
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent.
Term
experimental condition
Definition
the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.
Term
control condition
Definition
the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.
Term
random assignment
Definition
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups.
Term
measure of a central tendency
Definition
a single score that represents a whole set.
Term
culture
Definition
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
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