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observation
The process of gathering information about events or processes in a careful, orderly way.
hypothesis
an educated guess. a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
theory
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world
drawing conclusions
Means making a statement summing up what you have learned from an experiment. Related to the hypothesis telling whether it is to be true or false. Must be able to be duplicated by other scientists using different methods, for it to be considered reliable.
evaluation
the act of judging the value or worth of; the result of evaluating; a judgment or appraisal
meta-analysis
provides a way of statistically combining the results of individual research studies to reach an overall conclusion
scientific method
a series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions
variable
something that is likely to vary
population
the entire group about which the investigator wants to draw conclusions
random sample
a sample in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected
research setting
the context in which research is conducted, either a laboratory setting or a field setting
laboratory
a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
naturalistic observation
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation
descriptive research
methods designed to observe and describe behavior
methods designed to observe and describe behavior
an in-depth look at a single individual
correlational research
the study of the naturally occurring relationships among variables
correlational coefficient
A number between -1 and +1 expressing the degree of relationship between two variables
positive and negative correlations
fall between scale of -1 and +1
correlation and causation
Correlation indicates the possibility of a cause-effect relationship but it does not prove causation
third variable problem
the times when some other variable that has not been measured accounts for the relationship between two others
experiments
a research method in which the investigator manipulates one ormore factors to observe their effect on some behavior or mental proce while controlling other relevent factors by random assingment of subjects
random assignment
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups
independent variable
the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied
dependent variable
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable
experimental group
A subject or group of subjects in an experiment that is exposed to the factor or condition being tested.
control group
the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.
experimenter bias
expectations by the experimenter that might influence the results of an experiment or its interpretation
placebo effect
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent
participant bias
a tendency for research participants to respond in a certain way because they know they are being observed or they believe they know what the researcher wants
double-blind experiments
experiments in which neither the participants nor the people analyzing the results know who is in the control group
descriptive statistics
statistical procedures used to describe characteristics and responses of groups of subjects
mean
a measure of central tendency that is the average for a sample
median
a measure of central tendency that is the middle score in the sample
mode
A measure of central tendency that is the most common score in a sample
standard deviation- variability
a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean
inferential statistics
mathematical methods that are used to indicate whether results for a sample are likely to generalize to a population
statistical significance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
1.informed consent 2.confidentiality 3.debriefing 4.deception
informed consent
consent by a patient to undergo a medical or surgical treatment or to participate in an experiment after the patient understands the risks involved
confidentiality
the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals
debriefing
giving participants in a research study a complete explanation of the study after the study is completed
giving participants in a research study a complete explanation of the study after the study is completed
in research, an effect by which participants are misinformed or misled about the study's methods and purposes

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