Scientific Methods & Process
The scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
What is psychology?
This type of variable is the outcome or effect being measured in an experiment.
What is the dependent variable?
The scale of measurement that categorizes variables without a specific order
What is nominal?
Researchers manipulate independent variable(s) to observe the effect on dependent variable(s) while controlling for other factors.
What is experimental research?
A method of data collection and research that involves gathering information from a sample of individuals or groups by asking them a series of standard questions.
What is survey research?
A method of data collection and research that involves researchers observing and recording data about individuals, groups, or phenomena.
What is observational research?
A variable that is systematically manipulated in an experiment to observe its effect.
What is the independent variable?
a definition of a variable in terms of precisely how it is to be measured.
What is an operational definition?
Interval and ratio variables are both considered as a specific type of variable
What is a continuous variable?
A variable that varies systematically with the independent variable, and thus confuses the effect of the independent variable with the effect of the extraneous one.
What is a confounding variable?
A type of survey question that allows respondents to choose from a list of pre-determined answers.
What is a closed-ended question?
Careful observation of one or more specific behaviors in a particular setting.
What is Systematic/Structured Observation?
This type of research addresses practical problems
What is applied research?
the process of assigning values to represent some characteristic of the individuals.
What is measurment?
This term refers to the consistency of a measure.
What is reliability?
This study design involves a single independent variable with two conditions
What is a single factor two-level design?
Provide answers believed to be socially desirable rather than true beliefs.
What is social desirability bias?
based on no prior expectations and qualitative data
what is naturalistic observation?
Knowledge primarily arises from sensory experiences and empirical observation of the external world
What is knowledge from empiricism?
Variables (not the IV) that might also affect the DV (outcome variable)
What are extraneous variables?
This type of validity assesses whether the items on a measure covers all the aspects/dimensions of the construct that the measure is supposed to measure.
What is content validity?
Measure two variables without control for extraneous variables.
What is correlational research?
This model is used to guide writing items for a survey
What is the BRUSO Model?
A type of observational research where the observer becomes part of the group being studied.
What is participant observation?
A concept that states a theory must be open to being tested and potentially disproven through empirical evidence.
What is falsifiability?
The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, developed in 1965, is an example of this type of psychological measurement tool.
What is a self-report measure?
The extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to populations and conditions beyond the specific context of the study.
What is External validity?
Participants in a clinical trial of a pain-relief medicine may feel less pain because they expected the medicine to be pain-relieving. This is an example of...
What is a placebo effect?
This document helps ensure participants' rights, autonomy, and well-being are protected in research and other interventions.
What is informed consent?
tool used to translate observed behavior into quantitative data.
What is coding system?
To describe phenomena, predict the existence of an effect, and explain the mechanism.
What are the goals of science?
An abstract concept or variable describing a particular psychological phenomenon or trait that cannot be directly observed or measured in a concrete, tangible way.
What is a psychological construct?
This concept is used to assess internal consistency
What is Cronbach’s alpha?
the extent to which the design of a study supports the conclusion that changes in the IV caused effects on the DV.
What is internal validity?
The error that occurs when certain groups are underrepresented in survey results.
What is sampling bias?
"not participate in the protest and not let the other group members know the observer’s role." This is an example of...
What is disguised non-participant observation?