General Vocab
An educated guess, the first step in the research process.
Hypothesis
What is the goal of psychology?
develop explanations for behavior and mental processes… to explain why we do what we do.
what is the most important thing to remember about correlation?
correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation
what is a placebo
a fake treatment used to see a person’s change without changing their expectations. Helps with determining bias
what is an Institutional Review Board which is responsible for?
making sure research is preformed in an ethical manner.
The group in an experiment that does not receive treatment.
control group
who is clever hans, what did people claim he could do, could he actually do it?
Clever Hans was a horse in Germany that seemed to be able to solve math problems by tapping his hoof the correct number of times.
no he couldn't actually count
explain the difference between independent and dependent variables
Independent Variable (IV) = stimulus or cause (typically by the researcher)
Dependent Variable (DV) = response or effect
why is wording important and give me an example
Even subtle changes in the order or wording of questions can have a huge impact on results
Examples:“not allowing” vs. “forbidden”
•“aid to the needy” vs. “welfare”
•“affirmative action” vs. “preferential treatment”
•“revenue enhancers” vs. “taxes”
which experiment was the catalyst for ethics guidelines?
Milgram shock experiment (1961)
A series of questions about a particular subject.
Survey
what is bias?
a predisposition to a certain point of view (sometimes despite facts)
what are Variables that have unwanted influence on the outcome of an experiment?
Confounding Variables
To observe how individuals change over time, scientists use a(n)
Longitudinal Study
what is the ethics issue that tells participants everything they need to know about a study before they agree to take part? What happens when they withdraw?
- informed consent
- nothing, participants have the right to withdraw without getting penalized (still get paid)
A measure of how closely one thing is related to another; used for analyzing and interpreting observations.
Correlation
________ is the collecting of objective information, firsthand, by making careful measurements based on direct experience.
Empirical investigation
what is believing there is a relationship between two things, when none exists?
Illusory Correlation
what is the difference between a single-blind study and a double blind study?
•Single-Blind Study: Participants do not know whether they are in the control or experiment group.
•Double-Blind Study: An experiment where both the subject and the person administering the experiment do not know the nature of the independent variable being administered.
Is lying to a participant allowed? why or why not?
yes to reduce bias but the APA says deception is to be avoided whenever possible. However, when deception must be used, the subjects are to be debriefed as soon as possible after the study.
Standards for proper and responsible behavior.
Ethics
what are all 5 steps to the scientific method
1. developing a hypothesis
2. performing a controlled test
3. gathering objective data
4. analyze results
5. publishing, replicating and criticizing results
What do positive, negative, and zero correlation coefficients mean?
•If the correlation coefficient is a positive number, there is a positive correlation (connection) between the variables.
•Height and weight-the taller a person is, usually means they weigh more too
•If the correlation coefficient is a negative number, there is a negative correlation (connection) between variables. (ex: Education and years in jail—people who have more years of education tend to have fewer years in jail)
•If the correlation coefficient is 0, there is no correlation between variables.
What are some dangers of using a survey research technique?
findings may not be completely accurate, people may not be honest, fear of confidentiality,
what was the conclusion of the experiment that sparked conversation and action towards ethics in psych experiments?
The study demonstrated that ordinary people are surprisingly likely to obey authority figures, even when those orders conflict with their own moral beliefs.