Chapter 2: The Research Enterprise in Psychology (40 terms)
pages 36-71;
Transcribed by alexwyllie
Terms : Hide Images
| 870952418 | Hypothesis | A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. | 0 | |
| 870952443 | Variables | Any measurable conditions, events, characters, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study. | 1 | |
| 870952441 | Theory | A system of interrelated ideas that is used to explain a set of observations. | 2 | |
| 870952425 | Operational definition | A definition that describes the actions or operations that will be made to measure or control a variable. | 3 | |
| 870952426 | Participants | The persons or animals whose behavior is being systematically observed in a study. | 4 | |
| 870952439 | Subjects | The persons or animals whose behavior is being systematically observed in a study. | 5 | |
| 870952410 | Data collection techniques | Procedures for making empirical observations and measurements. | 6 | |
| 870952421 | Journal | A periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry. | 7 | |
| 870952431 | Research methods | Differing approaches to the manipulation and control of variables in empirical studies. | 8 | |
| 870952414 | Experiment | A research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result. | 9 | |
| 870952419 | Independent variable | In an experiment, a condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable. | 10 | |
| 870952411 | Dependent variable | In an experiment, the variable that is thought to be affected by the manipulation of the independent variable. | 11 | |
| 870952415 | Experimental group | The subjects in a study who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable. | 12 | |
| 870952407 | Control group | Subjects in a study who do not receive the special treatment given to the experimental group. | 13 | |
| 870952417 | Extraneous variables | Any variables other than the independent variable that seem likely to influence the dependent variable in a specific study. | 14 | |
| 870952406 | Confounding of variables | A condition that exists whenever two variables are linked together in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their independent effects. | 15 | |
| 870952429 | Random assignment | The constitution of groups in a study such that all subjects have an equal chance of being assigned to any group or condition. | 16 | |
| 870952405 | Case study | An in-depth investigation of an individual subject. | 17 | |
| 870952440 | Survey | A descriptive research method in which researchers use questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of subjects' behavior. | 18 | |
| 870952438 | Statistics | The use of mathematics to organize, summarize, and interpret numerical data. | 19 | |
| 870952412 | Descriptive statistics | Statistics that are used to organize and summarize data. | 20 | |
| 870952423 | Median | The score that falls exactly in the center of a distribution of scores. | 21 | |
| 870952422 | Mean | The arithmetic average of the scores in a distribution. | 22 | |
| 870952424 | Mode | The score that occurs most frequently in a distribution. | 23 | |
| 870952442 | Variability | The extent to which the scores in a data set tend to vary from each other and from the mean. | 24 | |
| 870952436 | Standard deviation | An index in the amount of variability in a set of data. | 25 | |
| 870952408 | Correlation | The extent to which two variables are related to each other. | 26 | |
| 870952409 | Correlation coefficient | A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables. | 27 | |
| 870952420 | Inferential statistics. | Statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions. | 28 | |
| 870952437 | Statistical significance | The condition that exists when the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is very low. | 29 | |
| 870952430 | Replication | The repetition of a study to see if the earlier results were duplicated. | 30 | |
| 870952433 | Sample | The collection of subjects selected for observation in an empirical study. | 31 | |
| 870952428 | Population | The larger collection of animals or people from which a sample is drawn and that researchers want to generalize about. | 32 | |
| 870952434 | Sampling bias | A problem that occurs when a sample is not representative of the population from which it is drawn. | 33 | |
| 870952427 | Placebo effects | The fact that subjects' expectations can lead them to experience changes even though they receive an empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment. | 34 | |
| 870952435 | Social desirability bias | A tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself. | 35 | |
| 870952432 | Response set | A tendency to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the content of the questions. | 36 | |
| 870952416 | Experimenter bias | A phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained. | 37 | |
| 870952413 | Double-blind procedure | A research strategy in which neither subjects nor experimenters know which subjects are in the experimental or control groups. | 38 | |
| 870952404 | Anecdotal evidence | Personal stories about specific incidents and experiences. | 39 |
