Scientific Attitude
This three-part mindset — curious, skeptical, and humble — is needed for scientific inquiry.
What is the scientific attitude?
This bias is the tendency, after learning an outcome, to believe you would have foreseen it — sometimes called the 'I-knew-it-all-along' phenomenon
What is hindsight bias?
This testable prediction, often derived from a theory, is used to guide research.
What is a hypothesis?
This statistic measures the extent to which two variables change together.
What is a correlation (correlation coefficient)?
This measure of central tendency is the most frequently occurring score in a data set.
What is the mode?
This type of thinking examines assumptions, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions rather than accepting arguments at face value.
What is critical thinking?
This bias describes our tendency to overestimate the accuracy of our own knowledge and judgments.
What is overconfidence?
For a theory to be considered scientific, it must have this quality — meaning it can, in principle, be disproven through testing.
What is falsifiable?
This is the variable that a researcher deliberately manipulates in an experiment.
What is an independent variable?
This measure of central tendency is found by adding all the scores and dividing by the number of scores.
What is the mean?
Psychology qualifies as this type of field because it uses research and interpretation of data, rather than mere speculation, to answer questions.
What is a science?
This tendency describes our natural inclination to perceive patterns or order in random, unrelated events.
What is the tendency to perceive order in random events?
This research method involves an in-depth, detailed examination of one individual or group.
What is a case-study?
In this type of procedure, neither the participants nor the researchers running the study know who is receiving the real treatment.
What is a double-blind procedure?
This measure of variation is the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a data set.
What is the range?
This element of the scientific attitude means staying open to testing your own ideas and being willing to reject them if evidence disagrees.
What is skepticism?
The unit outline argues that this type of answer — one that is science-based rather than grounded in common sense — is more valid.
What is a empirical evidence?
This research method involves observing and recording behavior in real-world settings without interfering.
What is naturalistic observation?
This ethical guideline requires researchers to tell participants about a study's purpose and procedures before they agree to take part.
What is informed consent?
This bell-shaped distribution describes data in which most scores fall near the average and fewer are found at the extremes.
What is the normal curve (normal distribution)?
This element of the scientific attitude means being willing to admit you are wrong and to change your view when new evidence demands it.
What is humility?
This bias occurs when someone seeks out and favors information that confirms what they already believe.
What is confirmation bias?
Researchers use this technique — giving every member of a population an equal chance of being chosen — to obtain a representative sample.
What is random sampling?
This term describes an inactive substance or treatment given to a control group to account for expectation effects.
What is a placebo?
This statistical concept tells researchers whether a difference between groups is unlikely to be due to chance alone.
What is statistical significance?
well-substantiated, systematic explanation for a set of facts, phenomena, or behavior in the natural or social world
What is a theory?
This bias occurs when someone reports information to the researcher to be more liked.
A carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study that allows for replication of the study.
What is an operational definition?
psychologists study animals, and explain the ethical research guidelines that safeguard human and animal welfare through these committees
What is institutional review board?
This value shows that a study's results are statistically significant
p-value; p<0.05