Terms
Hindsight Bias
The tendency, after an event has occurred, to overestimate the extent to which the outcome could have been foreseen
Experiment
Controlled research; manipulation of variables
Independent Variable
The cause of the change
Validity
How well a test measures what it was created to measure
Informed Consent
The process which researchers obtain the subjects' consent to participate
Critical Thinking
intellectual and disciplined process of actively and skillfully applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information
Survey
Self Responding
Ex: questionnaires
Dependent Variable
The effect of the change
Reliability
The consistency of a measure
Confidentiality
Principle of ethics requiring providers of care to limit the disclosure of a patient's identity
Theory
Systems and ideas that can explain certain aspects of human thoughts, behaviors and emotions
Case Study
Intensive investigation of single person, group, event
Confounding Variable
A third variable that influences both the independent and dependent variable
Measures of Central Tendency
A summary measure that attempts to describe a whole set of data with a single value that represents the middle or center of its distribution
Physical/Psychological Harm
Emotional or cognitive disturbances resulting from another's actions
Hypothesis
A precise, testable statement of what the researchers predict will be the outcome of a study
Naturalistic Observation
Observing without manipulation
Experimental Group
A test sample or the group that receives an experimental procedure
Percentile Rank
The percentage of individuals in the distribution with scores at or below the particular value
Deception
When a researcher gives false information to subjects or intentionally misleads them about some key aspect of the research
Replication
The repetition of an original experiment or research study to verify or bolster confidence in its results
Cross-Sectional Study
One point in time
Control Group
The standard to which comparisons are made in experiment
Correlation/Correlation Coefficient
A statistic used to estimate the degree of linear relationship between two variables
Debriefing
A set of procedures including counselling and the giving of information aimed at preventing psychological morbidity and aiding recovery after a traumatic event