Review terms for Unit II
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| 10719815261 | hindsight bias | the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it |  | 0 |
| 10719815262 | theory | an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations | 1 | |
| 10719815263 | operational definition | a statement of the procedures used to define research variables | 2 | |
| 10719815264 | case study | an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles |  | 3 |
| 10719815265 | population | all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study | 4 | |
| 10719815266 | naturalistic observation | involves observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate or control the situation |  | 5 |
| 10719815267 | correlation coefficient | a statistical index of the relationship between two variables (from -1 to +1) | 6 | |
| 10719815268 | illusory correlation | perception of a relationship where none exists | 7 | |
| 10719815269 | random assignment | assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups |  | 8 |
| 10719815270 | placebo effect | 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 |  | 9 |
| 10719815271 | control group | the group that does not receive the experimental treatment | 10 | |
| 10719815272 | dependent variable | the variable that is measured in a study | 11 | |
| 10719815273 | mean | the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores | 12 | |
| 10719815274 | range | the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution | 13 | |
| 10719815275 | normal curve | the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes |  | 14 |
| 10719815276 | culture | the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization | 15 | |
| 10719815277 | inferential statistics | mathematical methods that allow us to determine whether we can generalize findings from our sample to the full population | 16 | |
| 10719815278 | situation relevant confounding variables | the situations for different groups in an experiment must be similar or the same, otherwise it will skew the results | 17 | |
| 10719815279 | ex post facto study | "after the fact", meaning a correlational study or research in which pre-existing groups were used | 18 | |
| 10719815280 | positively skewed distribution | asymmetric distribution in which the majority of the data is concentrated below (to the left of) the mean |  | 19 |
| 10719815281 | regression line | the best-fitting straight line drawn through the center of a scatterplot that indicates the relationship between the variables |  | 20 |
| 10719815282 | debrief | to explain the purposes and methods of a completed procedure to a participant |  | 21 |
| 10719815283 | critical thinking | thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions - rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions | 22 | |
| 10719815284 | hypothesis | a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations | 23 | |
| 10719815285 | replication | the repetition of an experiment in order to test the validity of its conclusion | 24 | |
| 10719815286 | survey | a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them |  | 25 |
| 10719815287 | random sample | method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected |  | 26 |
| 10719815288 | correlation | a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other |  | 27 |
| 10719815289 | scatterplots | a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables |  | 28 |
| 10719815290 | experiment | a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process |  | 29 |
| 10719815291 | double-blind procedure | an experimental procedure in which both the research participant and the research staff are ignorant about whether the participants have received the treatment or the placebo |  | 30 |
| 10719815292 | experimental group | the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable | 31 | |
| 10719815293 | independent variable | the factor that is manipulated by the researcher to determine its effect on another variable | 32 | |
| 10719815294 | mode | the most frequently occurring score in a distribution | 33 | |
| 10719815295 | median | the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it | 34 | |
| 10719815296 | standard deviation | a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean; square root of variance | 35 | |
| 10719815297 | statistical significance | a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance | 36 | |
| 10719815298 | informed consent | an ethical principle requiring that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate |  | 37 |
| 10719815299 | experimenter bias | a phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained | 38 | |
| 10719815300 | Hawthorne effect | phenomenon in which participants' knowledge that they're being studied can affect their behavior |  | 39 |
| 10719815301 | z scores | measures distance (in units of standard deviations) from the mean | 40 | |
| 10719815302 | negatively skewed distribution | asymmetric distribution in which the majority of the data is concentrated to the right of the mean |  | 41 |
| 10719815303 | coercion | interaction in which individuals or groups are forced to behave in a particular way |  | 42 |
