Terms : Hide Images
| 208137059 | Scientific Method | A 5-Step Process for empirical investigation of a hypothesis under conditions designed to control biases and subjective judgements. | |
| 208137060 | Empirical Investigation | An approach to research that relies on sensory experience and observation as research data. | |
| 208137061 | Theory | A testable explanation for a set of facts or observations. In science, this is not just a speculation or a guess. | |
| 208137062 | Hypothesis | A statement predicting the outcome of a scientific study; a statement describing the relationship among variables in a study. | |
| 208137063 | Operational Definitions | Specific descriptions of concepts involving the conditions of a scientific study. These are stated in terms of how the concepts are to be measured or what operations are being employed to produce them. | |
| 208137064 | Independent Variable (IV) | A stimulus condition so named because the experimenter changes it independently of all the other carefully controlled experimental conditions. | |
| 208137065 | Random Presentation | A process by which chance alone determines the order in which the stimulus is presented. | |
| 208137066 | Data | Pieces of information, especially information gathered by a researcher to be used in testing a hypothesis. | |
| 208137067 | Dependent Variable (DV) | The measured outcome of a study, the responses of the subjects in a study. | |
| 208137068 | Replicate | In research, this refers to doing a study over to see whether the same results are obtained. As a control for bias, this is often done by someone other than the researcher who performed the original study. | |
| 208137069 | Experiment | A kind of research in which the researcher controls all the conditions and directly manipulates the conditions, including the independent variable. | |
| 208137070 | Confounding/Extraneous Variables | Variables that have an unwanted influence on the outcome of an experiment. | |
| 208137071 | Controls | Constraints that the experimenter places on the experiment to ensure that each subject has the exact same conditions. | |
| 208137072 | Random Assignment | Each subject of the sample has an equal likelihood of being chosen for the experimental group of an experiment. | |
| 208137073 | Ex post factor | Research in which we choose subjects based on a pre-existing condition. | |
| 208137074 | Correlational Study | A type of research that is mainly statistical in nature. These determine the relationship (or correlation) between two variables. | |
| 208137075 | Survey | A quasi-experimental method in which questions are asked to subjects. When designing one, the researcher has to be careful that the questions are not skewed or biased toward a particular answer. | |
| 208137076 | Naturalistic Observation | A research method in which subjects are observed in their natural environment. | |
| 208137077 | Longitudinal Study | A type of study in which one group of subjects is followed and observed (or examined, surveyed, etc.) for an extended period of time (years). | |
| 208137078 | Cross-Sectional Study | A study in which a representative cross section of the population is tested or surveyed at one specific time. | |
| 208137079 | Cohort-sequential Study | A research method in which a cross section of the population is chosen and then each cohort is followed for a short period of time. | |
| 208137080 | Personal Bias | The researcher allowing personal beliefs to affect the outcome of a study. | |
| 208137081 | Expectancy Bias | The researcher allowing his or her expectations to affect the outcome of a study. | |
| 208137082 | Double-Blind Study | An experimental procedure in which both researchers and participants are uninformed about the nature of the independent variable being administered. | |
| 208137083 | Institutional Review Board (IRB) | A committee at each institution where research is conducted to review every experiment for ethics and methodology. | |
| 208137084 | Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) | A committee at each institution where research is conducted to review every experiment involving animals for ethic and methodology. | |
| 208137085 | Frequency Distribution | A summary chart, showing how frequently each of the various scores in a set of data occurs. | |
| 208137086 | Histogram | A bar graph depicting a frequency of distribution. The height of the bars indicates the frequency of a group of scores. | |
| 208137087 | Descriptive Statistics | Statistical procedures used to describe characteristics and responses of groups of subjects. | |
| 208137088 | Mean | The measure of central tendency most often used to describe a set of data- calculated by adding all the scores and dividing by the number of scores. | |
| 208137089 | Median | A measure of central tendency for a distribution, represented by the score that separates the upper half of the scores in a distribution from the lower half | |
| 208137090 | Mode | A measure of central tendency for a distribution, represented by the score that occurs more often than any other. | |
| 208137091 | Range | The simplest measure of variability, represented by the difference between the highest and lowest values in a frequency distribution. | |
| 208137092 | Standard Deviation | A measure of variability that indicates the average difference between the scores and their mean. | |
| 208137093 | Correlation | A relationship between variables, in which changes in one variable are reflected in changes in the other variable. | |
| 208137094 | Normal Distribution | A bell-shaped curve, describing the spread of a characteristic throughout a population. | |
| 208137095 | Correlation Coefficient | A number between -1 and +1 expressing the degree of relationship between two variables. | |
| 208137096 | Inferential Statistics | Statistical techniques (based on probability theory) used to assess whether the results of a study are reliable or whether they might be simply the result of chance. Often used to determine whether 2 or more groups are essentially the same or different. | |
| 208137097 | Random Sample | A sample group of subjects selected by chance (without biased selection techniques). | |
| 208137098 | Representative Sample | A sample obtained in such a way that it reflects the distribution of important variables in the larger population in which the researchers are interested- variables such as age, income level, ethnicity, and geographical distribution. | |
| 208137099 | Significant difference | Psychologists accept a difference between the groups "real", or significant, when the probability that it might be due to an atypical sample drawn by chance is less than in 5 in 100 (indicated by the notion p<.05) |
