Research Basics
FINAL JEOPARDY
List out the steps of the scientific method in order.
Identify a question
Form Hypothesis
Define variables
Design a study
Collect data
analyze results
draw conclusions
replicate and share
peer review
refine theory
FINAL JEOPARDY
This is the default prediction that the independent variable has no effect.
The null hypothesis
FINAL JEOPARDY
Probability threshold that determines if results are due to chance.
Statistical significance
FINAL JEOPARDY
When survey results are distorted because participants give answers they think are acceptable, not truthful.
Social Desirability Bias
FINAL JEOPARDY
Give the term for the following:
1-Review process where other experts critique methods and conclusions.
2- Agreement by a legal guardian for a minor to participate in a study.
3- Analysis done to ensure that potential benefits outweigh potential risks.
1- Peer Review
2- Informed assent
3- Risk-benefit analysis
What research method is the only one that can determine cause-and-effect relationships?
Experiment or Experimental Method
Assigning participants to groups by chance (random assignment) to reduce this threat to validity.
Confounding variables
A survey shows that children who have encyclopedias in their home environment earn better grades in school than children whose homes lack encyclopedias. The researcher concludes that having encyclopedias in the home environment improves grades. Which of the following explains why the researcher has reached an erroneous conclusion?
Correlation does NOT equal causation!
Watching subjects in natural settings.
Naturalistic Observation
DAILY DOUBLE- Which ethical principle requires that participants be fully briefed about the nature of a study before agreeing to take part?
Informed Consent
A clear, measurable definition of a concept.
Operational Definition
In a study examining the impact of caffeine on alertness, some participants received a decaffeinated beverage that was presented to them as caffeinated. This decaffeinated drink was an example of what?
Placebo or control
A researcher records the exam scores of 100 students with no extreme outliers. Which measure of central tendency best represents the group?
Mean
Combining many studies to form a greater understanding or a new conclusion.
Meta-analysis
A psychologist collects data on children’s screen habits but removes all identifying information before analyzing it. Which ethical guideline is the researcher following?
Confidentiality
What term describes the situation where participants in a study may alter their behavior or responses because they know they are being observed or studied?
Participant Bias
This is when both the data collectors and research participants do not know the expected outcome of the experiment?
Double Blind Study
A person displays behaviors of a psychological disorder that psychologists in the United States have not seen before. The best strategy to investigate the nature of those behaviors is to conduct which of the following?
Case Study
A researcher tells participants they’re completing a memory test, but the real purpose is to study frustration. After the session, the researcher explains the study’s true purpose and why it was hidden.
Which two ethical principles are being addressed?
Deception — It is justified because it is pertinent to the study and is only causing short-term annoyance. (allowed only if justified and no harm is caused.)
Debriefing — researcher explains the true purpose after the study to ensure participants leave fully informed.
The quality of a hypothesis that makes it testable. Without this it, a claim is just a belief.
Falsifiability
Change in behavior as a result of the researcher's expectations.
Experimenter Bias - We use double-blind procedures to control for this.
Your friend swears their horoscope is always right. When it matches their day, they brag about it, but when it’s wrong, they shrug it off and forget it. This tendency to notice or interpret information in a way that supports your pre-existing belief is called this.
Confirmation bias
What type of research studies involve the repeated observation or measurement of the same individuals or groups over an extended period to track changes and developments over time?
Longitudinal Studies
This group decides if the benefits of a study outweigh the potential risks to participants.
What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
This threat to validity occurs when participants drop out of a study over time, potentially skewing the results.
What is Attrition (experimental mortality)
Mr. Bannon wants to study stress levels in his AP Psych class. Instead of letting only volunteers sign up, he writes every student’s name on a slip of paper, mixes them in a hat, and draws 10 names to survey. This method ensures every student has an equal chance of being chosen. What method is he using?
Random Sampling
Extreme scores push results back toward average.
Regression towards the mean
This error occurs when there are discrepancies between the study sample and the intended population, rendering the findings less generalizable.
Sampling bias or unrepresentative sample
A study recruits volunteers by offering $500 payments. Some argue this is unethical. Which principle might be at risk here, and why?
Voluntary Participation / Informed Consent — large payments can create coercion (pressure to participate for money rather than free choice).
Ethical concern: participants may feel unable to refuse.