Key Terms
Repetition of a study to see if earlier results can be duplicated
Replication
The variable that is affected by the direct manipulation of another variable
Dependent Variable
Research method in which researcher manipulates a variable under controlled conditions and observes if any changes in a second variable occur as a result. Can draw causal conclusions
Experiment
When a participant’s expectations leads them to experience a change despite receiving a fake or ineffective treatment
Placebo Effect
The correct rules of conduct and moral principles necessary when carrying out research
Ethics
A substance or treatment that is designed to have no pharmacologic effect or therapeutic value
Placebo
The condition or event that the researcher changes in order to see its impact on another variable
Independent Variable
Research used to see if two variables are related and to make predictions based on the relationship
Correlation
When the sample is NOT representative of the overall population from which it was drawn
Sampling Bias
A form that includes a description of what participants can expect during the experiment, including potential risks and implications of the research, that participants sign before choosing to be in the study.
Informed Consent
A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables
Hypothesis
Any variable other than the independent variable that is likely to influence the dependent variable
Extraneous Variable
Use of questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of participants backgrounds, attitudes, beliefs, or behavior
Survey
When a researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome influence the obtained results
Experimenter Bias
They review proposals for research that involves human participants
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Strategy to avoid bias, where neither the researcher nor the participants know which group is receiving a particular treatment
Double-Blind Study
When two variables are linked in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effects
Confounding Variable
In-depth investigation of an individual or very few subjec
Case Study
The tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself
Social Desirability Bias
The process of giving participants in a completed research project a fuller explanation of the study in which they participated than was possible before or during the research
Debriefing
Statement of the precise meaning of a variable, procedure, or concept within a study
Operational Definition
The independent variable in this study: a researcher looks at the effects caffeine has on one's motivation
Caffeine
Researcher engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with the subject
Naturalistic Observation
When a subject’s behavior is altered by the presence of an observer
Reactivity
Psychologists need to act morally and responsibly, and follow this code of conduct within their research
"Do no harm"