Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Chapter 2
Blah
45
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
10/27/2008

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
replication
Definition
repetition of an experiment to confirm the results
Term
theory
Definition
idea of how something works.. explains what is observed and makes predictions about future events
Term
empirical process
Definition
1. theory 2. hypothesis 3. data
Term
hypothesis
Definition
specific prediction of what should be observed if theory is correct
Term
research
Definition
scientific process that involves the systematic and careful collection of data
Term
data
Definition
objective observations or measurements
Term
variables
Definition
things that can be measured and that can vary
Term
operational definitions
Definition
the quantification of a variable that allows it to be measured
Term
experiment
Definition
a study wherein variables are both measured and manipulated
Term
independent variable
Definition
the manipulated variable
Term
dependent variable
Definition
measure that is affected by the manipulation of the "manipulated" variable
Term
confound
Definition
anything that affects a dependent variable that may unintentionally vary between the different experimental conditions of a study. this is bad.
Term
random assignment
Definition
each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any level of the independent variable
Term
correlational study
Definition
examines how variables are naturally related in the world, without any attempt by researcher to alter them
Term
third-variable problem
Definition
occurs when you cannot directly manipulate the independent variable and therefore cannot be confident that another unmeasurable variable is not the actual cause of differences in the dependent variable
Term
descriptive study
Definition
(observational study) research method that involves observing and noting behavior in order to provide a systematic and objective analysis
Term
naturalistic observation
Definition
a passive descriptive study in which observers do not change or alter ongoing behavior
Term
participant observation
Definition
type of descriptive study in which researcher is actively involved in the situation
Term
observational technique
Definition
research method of careful and systematic assessment and coding of overt behavior
(i.e. watching gestures during social interaction) it is the major data-collection method for descriptive studies
Term
reactivity
Definition
the effect that occurs when the knowledge that one is being observed alters the behavior being observed
Term
observer bias
Definition
systematic errors in observation that occur due to an observer's expectations
Term
experimenter expectancy effect
Definition
actual change in behavior of the people or animals being observed that is due to observer bias
Term
self-report method
Definition
a method of data collection in which people are asked to provide information about themselves, such as in questionnaires or surveys
Term
socially desirable responding
Definition
when people respond to a question in a way that is most socially acceptable or makes them look good
Term
case study
Definition
research method that involves the intense examination of one person
Term
response performance
Definition
a research method in which researchers quantify perceptual or cognitive processes in response to a specific stimulus. quantified in 3 basic ways: reaction time, response accuracy, stimulus judgments
Term
reaction time
Definition
speed of a response
Term
response accuracy
Definition
how well a stimulus is perceived
Term
psychophysiological assessment
Definition
research method that examines how changes in bodily functions are associated with behavior or mental state
i.e polygraphs
Term
electrophysiology
Definition
method of data collection that measures electrical activity in the brain.. measures EEG patterns
Term
positron emission tomography (PET)
Definition
method of brain imaging that assesses metabolic activity by using a radioactive substance injected into the bloodstream
Term
magnetic response imaging (MRI)
Definition
newest/most powerful imaging technique.. provides very high quality images of intact human brains.. relies on the fact that protons contained in hydrogen behave like tiny magnets
Term
institutional review boards (IRBs)
Definition
groups of people responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure that it meets the accepted standards of science and provides for the physical and emotional well-being of research participants
Term
informed consent
Definition
a process in which people are given full information about a study, which allows them to make a knowledgeable decision about whether to participate. all participants are entitled to this information.
Term
validity
Definition
the extent to which data collected address the research hypothesis in the way intended
Term
reliability
Definition
the extent to which a measure is stable and consistent over time in similar conditions
Term
accuracy
Definition
the extent to which an experimental measure is free from error
Term
central tendency
Definition
a measure that represents the typical behavior of the group as a whole
Term
mean
Definition
arithmetic average
Term
median
Definition
"medium" middle.. value that lies exactly halfway between lowest and highest values
Term
mode
Definition
most frequent score/value in set of numbers
Term
variability
Definition
in a set of numbers, how widely dispersed the values are from each other and from the mean
Term
standard deviation
Definition
statistical measure of how far away each value is on average from the mean
Term
correlation
Definition
statistical procedure that provides a numerical value (between 1 and -1) indicating strength and direction of the relation between 2 variables
Term
inferential statistics
Definition
set of procedures used to make judgments about whether differences actually exist between sets of numbers
Supporting users have an ad free experience!