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Chapter 1: Psychology 10th Edition by David G. Meyers Flashcards

from Psychology (Eighth Edition) by David G. Myers

Terms : Hide Images
1641061750hindsight biasThe tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.0
1641061751critical thinkingThinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence and assesses conclusions.1
1641061752theoryAn explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events.2
1641061753hypothesisA testable prediction, often implied by a theory.3
1641061754operational definitiona statement of the procedures used to define research variables.4
1641061755replicationRepeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances.5
1641061756case studyAn observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.6
1641061757surveyA technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them.7
1641061758false consensus effectthe tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors8
1641061759populationall the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study9
1641061760random samplea sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion10
1641061761naturalistic observationObserving and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.11
1641061762correlationa measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other12
1641061763scatterplota graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation).13
1641061764illusory correlationthe perception of a relationship where none exists14
1641061765experimentA research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process15
1641061766double blind procedureAn experimental procedure in which both the research participant and the research staff are ignorant about whether the participants have received the treatment or the placebo16
1641061767placebo effectexperimental 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 agent17
1641061768experimental conditionthe condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable18
1641061769control conditionthe condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment19
1641061770random assignmentassigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups20
1641061771independent variablethe experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied21
1641061772dependent variablethe outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable22
1641061773modethe most frequently occurring score in a distribution23
1641061774meanthe arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores24
1641061775medianthe middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it25
1641061776rangethe difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution26
1641061777standard deviationa computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score27
1641061778statistical significancea statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance.28
1641061779culturethe enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next29

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