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Psych Vocab #1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. | independent variable |
| a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment | cofounding variable |
| a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score | standard deviation |
| the symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data; most scores fall near the mean (68% fall within one standard deviation of it) and fewer near the extremes | normal curve |
| a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance | statistical significance |
| the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next | culture |
| an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate | informed consent |
| the post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants | debriefing |
| an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events | theory |
| A testable prediction, often implied by a theory | hypothesis |
| the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (also known as the "i-knew-it-all-along" phenomenon) | hindsight bias |
| a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process; by random assignment of participants, the experimenter aims to control their factors | experiment |
| assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups | random assignment |
| an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo; commonly used in drug-evaluation studies | double-blind procedure |
| in an experiment, the group that is exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable | experimental group |
| in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment | control group |
| the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulation of the independent variable | dependent variable |
| the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution | mode |
| the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores | mean |
| the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it | median |
| thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions. | critical thinking |
| a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables; for example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures | operational definition |
| repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances | replication |
| an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles | case study |
| a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group | survey |
| all the cases in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn | population |
| a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion | random sample |
| observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation | naturalistic observation |
| a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other. | correlation |
| a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1) | correlation coefficient |
| a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables | scatter plot |
| the perception of a relationship where none exists | illusory correlation |
| the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution | range |
| experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration if an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent | placebo effect |
Created by:
ryn._marie