Research Methods Concepts Psych Myers-1

AP Psychology Research Methods Question Answer the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (Also Hindsight bias known as the I-knew-it-all along phenomenon.) thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines Critical thinking assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. Theory an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations. Hypothesis a testable prediction Operational precise statements of the procedures (operations) used to define independent and dependent definitions variables. repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different Replication situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances Case study a descriptive research strategy in which one person is studied in great depth a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by Survey questioning a representative, random sample of them. False consensus is the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors. effect Population all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study. sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of Random sample a inclusion. Naturalistic involves observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to observation manipulate or control the situation. a statistical measure that indicates the extent to which two factors vary together and thus how Correlation well one factor can be predicted from the other. Correlations can be positive or negative. Scatterplot a depiction of the relationship between two variables by means of a graphed cluster of dots. Illusory the false perception of a relationship between two events when none exists. correlation a research strategy in which a researcher directly manipulates one or more factors Experiment (independent variables) in order to observe their effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variables; experiments therefore make it possible to establish ca an inert substance or condition that is administered as a test of whether an experimental Placebo subjects who mistakenly thinks a treatment a control procedure in which neither the experimenter nor the research subjects are aware of Double-blind which condition is in effect. It is used to prevent experimenters' and subjects' expectations from procedure influencing the results of an experiment. Placebo effect Experimental condition Control condition Random assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Mode Mean Median Range Standard deviation 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. the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable. the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment. the procedure of assigning subjects to the experimental and control conditions by chance in order to minimize preexisting differences between the groups. the factor being manipulated and tested by the investigator. the factor being measured by the investigator. the most frequently occurring score in a distribution; it is the simplest measure of central tendency to determine. the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores. the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it. a measure of variation computed as the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. the average amount by which the scores in a distribution deviate around the mean. Because it is based on every score in the distribution Statistical significance a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance. Culture the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.