The Scientific Method
What term is the idea that knowledge is obtained through observation and your senses? (Think of the Methods of Knowing)
Empiricism
What is a definition of a variable in terms of precisely how it should be measured in the case of replication?
Operational definition.
What are the basic formatting things to remember (spacing, margins, font).
Double spaced, 1-inch margins, 12pt Times New Roman.
What is it called when researchers obtain and document people’s agreement to participate in a study after having informed them on anything that might affect their decision?
Informed consent.
What is the measure of categorical data?
What type of research question is this, ‘What percentage of college students have an anxiety disorder?’
Descriptive because it is describing the nature of things.
Give an example of a sample and a population.
Population of college students, sample of 100 ISU undergraduate students.
What is the basic rule for numbers (when do you use numerals vs words)?
If the number is below 10, write it out (two). If the number is 10 and over, use numerals (22).
What are the three main things the IRB can do for a study?
Full review, expedited review, exempt studies.
What is inter-rater reliability?
Agreement from multiple observers.
Explain the difference between Science and Pseudoscience.
Science uses falsifiable claims and the scientific method, pseudoscience is presented as science but lacks use of the scientific method.
Explain the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable.
The independent variable is manipulated by the researcher and the dependent variable is measured as an outcome or result.
What is wrong with this in-text citation?
(Kahn 2022).
There should be a comma after Kahn.
(Kahn, 2022).
What are the two main purposes of the Nuremberg Code?
Reducing coercion, obtaining informed consent.
What is the difference between reliability and validity?
Reliability is about consistency whereas validity is about accuracy.
When looking for past research to use for your research, what should you be looking for? (And how do you look for them?)
Empirical reports, professional journals, peer reviewed journal articles, using APA Psych Info and Google Scholar
Explain the difference between internal and external validity.
External validity refers to how generalizable the results are (how well do they apply to everyday life). Internal validity refers to how much control an experiment has (is there a clear cause and effect relationship).
What is wrong with this full citation? (2 errors)
Cronbach, L. J., and Meehl, P. E. (1955). Construct validity in psychological tests. Psychological Bulletin, 52(4), p. 281-302. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040957-400pts
Should be & instead of and. There should not be a p. in front of the page numbers.
What are the three main principles recognized in the Belmont Report?
Justice, Respect for Persons, Beneficence.
Describe the difference between a conceptual definition and an operational definition.
A conceptual definition tells you what the concept means and an operational definition tell you how to measure it.
Name the steps in the Model of Scientific Research.
Informal observation, research literature, research question, (potentially research literature again), empirical study, data analysis, conclusions.
What is the main difference between an experimental and non-experimental design and how does validity differ between them?
Experimental involves manipulation and internal validity is higher (external is lower). Non-experimental involves no manipulation at all (survey or self-report) and external validity is higher (internal is lower).
Name the sections of a research paper in order.
Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References, Tables, Figures.
What are the specific standards outlined in the APA Code of Ethics?
Privacy/confidentiality, informed consent, deception, debriefing, care for and use of animals, reporting research and publication credit.
Explain the difference between Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio levels of measurement.
Ordinal: Order matters but the distance between numbers does not matter (distance between might not be the same)
Interval: Difference between numbers does matter (lacking an absolute zero)
Ratio: Zero is meaningful