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AP Psychology Prep: Methods Flashcards

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6529780830Hindsight BiasThe tendency upon hearing about research findings (and many other things) to think you knew it all along.0
6529780831Applied ResearchResearch that has clear, practical applications. (Comparing the efficiency of different methods)1
6529780832Basic ResearchResearch that explores questions that are of interest to psychologists but are not intended to have immediate, real-world applications. (How do people in different cultures define intelligence?)2
6529780833HypothesisExpresses a relationship between two variables. (The "guess")3
6529780834Independent VariableManipulate this variable to affect the dependent variable.4
6529780835Dependent VariableA change in the independent variable will produce a change in this variable.5
6529780836TheoryAims to explain some phenomenon and allows researchers to generate testable hypotheses with hope of collecting data that support it.6
6529780837Operational DefinitionA description of a variable that explains how you will measure it. Must be able to be repeated by other psychologists.7
6529780838ValidResearch is ____ when it measures what the researcher set out to measure; it is accurate.8
6529780839ReliabileResearch is ____ when it can be replicated; it is consistent.9
6529780840ParticipantsThe individuals on which the research will be conducted.10
6529780841SamplingThe process by which participants are selected.11
6530232967SampleGroup of participants.12
6529780842PopulationAnyone or anything that could possibly be selected to be in the sample.13
6529780843Representative SampleA sample that is representative of a larger population. (Large and diverse)14
6529780844Random SamplingEvery member of the population has an equal chance of being selected (Increases the likelihood that the sample represents the population) (Use a computer, table of random numbers, names out of a hat)15
6529780845Stratified SamplingA process that allows a researcher to ensure that the sample represents the population on some criteria. (If 1:1 ration of men to women, the sample will be arranged to have 1:1)16
6529780846Laboratory ExperimentsAn experiment conducted in a lab, a highly controlled environment.17
6530232968Field ExperimentsExperiments conducted out in the world. More realistic that laboratory experiments.18
6530232969ExperimentThe preferred method of research, because it is the only method that can show a causal relationship.19
6529780847Confounding VariablesAny difference between the experimental and control conditions, except for the independent variable, that might affect the dependent variable.20
6537689597AssignmentThe process by which participants are put into a group, experimental or control.21
6529780848Random AssignmentEach participant has an equal chance of being placed into any group.22
6529780849ControlsThese diminish the chances of a confounding variable.23
6537689598Group MatchingEnsures that experimental and control groups are equivalent on some criterion (sex, IQ scores, age).24
6537689599Participant-Relevant Confounding VariableA confounding variable related to assignment of participants in an experiment.25
6537689600Situation-Relevant Confounding VariableA confounding variable related to the environmental difference between groups.26
6537689601Experimenter BiasThe unconscious tendency for researchers to treat members of the experimental or control groups differently to increase the chance of confirming their hypothesis.27
6537689602Double-Blind ProcedureOccurs when neither the participants nor the researcher are able to affect the outcome of the research.28
6537689603Demand CharacteristicsWhen a participant picks up on cues about the purpose of the study.29
6537689604Response/Subject BiasThe tendency for subjects to behave in certain ways.30
6537689605Social DesirablityThe tendency of participants to give answers that reflect well upon them.31
6537689606Experimental GroupThe group that gets the treatment operationalized in the independent variable.32
6537689607Control GroupThe group that does not get the independent variable.33
6537689608Hawthorne EffectSelecting a group of people to experiment on affects the performance of that group, regardless of what is down to those individuals.34
6537689609Placebo Method/EffectWhen participants in the control group are given an inert but identical substance to the experimental group's. Separates the psychological effect from the physiological effect.35
6537689610CounterbalancingHaving half of the group be the experimental group first, and half the control group first, then having them switch groups.36
6537689611CorrelationExpresses the relationship between two variables without ascribing cause. Can be either positive or negative.37
6537689612Positive CorrelationThe presence of one thing predicts the presence of another.38
6537689613Negative CorrelationThe presence of one thing predicts the absence of another.39
6537689614Order EffectsWhen a group of participant is first the control group, then later the experimental, they may do better on the second test because they already did it.40
6546623492Ex Post FactoWhen the researcher first observes the effect then tries to determine the cause. Participants aren't selected.41
6546623493Survey MethodA research method in which people take surveys. There is no independent or dependent variable, it cannot show a causal relationship, and it cannot control for participant-relevant variables.42
6546623494Naturalistic ObservationA research method in which researchers observe their participants in their natural habitats, without interacting with them. The goal is to get a realistic and rich picture of the participants' behavior.43
6546623495Longitudinal StudyA research method that is used to get a full, detailed picture of one participant or a group of participants. It gets the richest possible picture of what they study, but cannot be generalized to a larger population.44
6546623496Descriptive StatisticsDescribes a set of data.45
6546623497Frequency DistributionA summary of how often different scores occur within a sample of scores.46
6622350290Central TendancyAttempts to mark the center of a distribution. (Mean, median, mode)47
6622350291MeanThe average. Can be distorted by outliers, in which case the median should be used.48
6622350292MedianCentral score in the distribution.49
6622350293ModeScore that appears most frequently.50
6622350294Positively SkewedWhen a distribution includes an extreme score that is very high. There are more low scores than high, and the mean is greater than the median.51
6622350295Negatively SkewedWhen a distribution has an extreme score(s) that is very low. There are more positive scores than low, and the mean is lower than the median.52
6622350296Measures of VariabilityA type of descriptive statistical measure that attempts to depict the diversity of a distribution. (Range, variance, and standard deviation).53
6622350297RangeDistance between the highest and lowest score in a distribution.54
6622350298Standard DeviationThe square root of the variance. Relates the average distance of any score in the distribution from the mean. The higher it is, the more spread out the distribution.55
6622350299Z-ScoreMeasures the distance of a score from the mean in units of standard deviation.56
6622350300Normal CurveA theoretical bell-shaped curve for which the area under the curve lying between any two z scores has been predetermined. 68% of scores fall within 1 standard deviation from the mean, 95% within 2 and 99% within 3.57
6622350301PercentilesIndicate the distance of a score from 0.58
6622350303Correlation CoefficientA statistic that can compute the strength of a correlation. Ranges from -1 to +1, where both 1's are a perfect correlation and 0 is no correlation.59
6622350304Scatter Plot60
6622350305Line of Best Fit (Regression Line)The line drawn through a scatter plot that minimizes the distance of all the points from the line.61
6622350306Inferential StatisticsDetermines whether or not findings can be applied to the larger population from which the sample was selected.62
6622350307Sampling ErrorThe extent to which a sample differs from the population.63
6622350308Statistically Significant Results.When the p value (the probability that the difference between the groups is by chance) is .05. This means that a 5% chance exists that the results occurred by chance.64
6622350309Institutional Review Board (IRB)Reviews research proposals for ethical violations and/or procedural errors. This board ultimately gives researchers permission to go ahead with the research or required them to revise their procedures.65
6622350310APADeveloped strict guidelines about what animals and how animals can be used in psychological research.66
6622350311• Clear scientific purpose • Must answer a specific, important scientific question • Animal must be best-suited to answer the question at hand • Must care for and house animals in a humane way • Must acquire animals legally • Least amount of suffering feasible.APA Guidelines67
6622350312• No Coercion • Informed consent • Anonymity or confidentiality • No mental or physical risk • DebriefingHuman Research Guidelines68

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