AP Psych - unit 2 Flashcards

14993305230	hindsight bias	the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it	0
14993305231	critical thinking	thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions.	1
14993441472	Theory	an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events	2
14993441473	Hypothesis	A testable prediction, often implied by a theory	3
14993441474	operational definition	a statement of the procedures used to define research variables	4
14993441475	Replication	repeating 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
14993441476	case study	a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles	6
14993441477	naturalistic observation	observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation	7
14993441478	survey	a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group	8
14993441479	sampling bias	a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample	9
14993441480	Population	all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn. ( Note: Except for national studies, this does not refer to a country's whole population	10
14993441481	random sample	a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion	11
14993441482	Correlation	A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.	12
14993441483	correlation coefficient	a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1)	13
14993441484	Scatterplot	a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables	14
14993638381	illusory correlation	the perception of a relationship where none exists	15
14993638382	experiment	A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process	16
14993638383	experimental group	In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable.	17
14993638384	control group	In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.	18
14993638385	random assignment	assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups	19
14993638386	double-blind procedure	an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.	20
14993638387	Placebo	Something which has a positive mental effect, but no physical effect. Oftentimes a drug with no active ingredient.	21
14993638388	independent variable	The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.	22
14993638389	dependent variable	The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.	23
14993638390	confounding variable	a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment	24
14993638391	Validity	the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to	25
14993638392	descriptive statistics	numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation.	26
14993638393	Histogram	A graph of vertical bars representing the frequency distribution of a set of data.	27
14993638394	Mode	the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution	28
14993638395	mean	the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores	29
14993638396	Median	the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it	30
14993638397	skewed distribution	a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average value i.e. squirrel effect	31
14993638398	range	the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution	32
14993638399	standard deviation	a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score	33
14993638400	normal curve	the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.	34
14993638401	inferential statistics	numerical data that allow one to generalize- to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population	35
14993638402	statistical significance	a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance	36
14993638403	Culture	the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next	37
14993638404	informed consent	an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate	38
14993638405	Debriefing	the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants	39