Ap Psych Research Test

Front 1

Measurement & Description

Back 1

First goal of psychology is to develop measurement techniques that make it possible to describe behavior clearly and precisely. Way to measure the phenomenon under study.

Front 2

Understanding & Prediction

Back 2

Scientists believe they understand events when they can explain the reasons for the occurance of the events.

Front 3

hypothesis

Back 3

tentative statement about relationship between two or more variables.

Front 4

variables

Back 4

measurements, conditions, events or characteristics that are controlled or observed in a study.

Front 5

Application & Control

Back 5

scientists hope that info gathered will be practical in helping solve everyday problems. Once a phenomenon is understood it is more easily controlled.

Front 6

Steps in Scientific Investigation

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1. Formulate a hypothesis
2. Select research method & design of study
3. Collecting the date
4. Analyze data & draw conclusions
5. Report the findings

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Step 1: Formulate a testable hypothesis

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to be testable, scientific hypotheses must be formulated precisely and the variables under study must be clearly defined.

Front 8

operational definition

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describes the actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable. establish precisely what is meant by each variable in context of study.

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Step 2: Select research method & design the study

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figure out how to put hypothesis to an empirical test research method depends on nature of question under study.

once general method is chosen, must make detailed plan for executing study

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Step 3: Collecting the data

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procedures for making empirical observations and measurements

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Step 4: Analyze data & draw conclusions

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observations made in study are usually converted into numbers which constitute raw data of study

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Step 5: Report the findings

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write up concise summary of study and findsings

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Relationship between theory, hypothesis, and research

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an hypothesis is a statement about relationship between variables, but psychologists don't set out just to collect isolated facts so they construct theories which help them build toward better understanding, research furthers this.

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Independent variable

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IV

the stimuli

variable being manipulated

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dependent variable

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DV

response

variable being effected by manipulation

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control group vs. experimental group

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experimental; change in independent variable

control: similar subjects that do not receive any special treatment in regards to IV

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extraneous variables

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variables other than IV which have effects on the DV and are not normally considered

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confounding variables

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when two variables are linked together in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their effects

i.e. testing drugs; how it's being administered, other meds, weight etc.

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random sampling/assignment

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when each subject in a sample has equal likelihood of being selected

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use and implications of placebo effect

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when participants expectations lead them to experience a change even though they received a fake treatment.

30-40A% demonstrate placebo effect

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impact of experimenter bias on results of investigation

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experimenters expectations about outcome influence the results

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single blind vs. double blind procedure

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single-blind: patients don't know if they're part of control or experimental

double-blind: neither doctors nor patients know who is part of control/experimental

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social desirability bias (courtesy bias)

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patient's tendency to give socially acceptable responses

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response set

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tendency to respond to a question in a particular way

i.e. just start filling in answers

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only type of research that investigates cause and effect relationship of variables

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experiment

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format and use of naturalistic observation

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researcher engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with subjects

strength: allows researcher to study behavior under conditions that are less artificial than in experiments

problem: researchers often have trouble making their observation unobtrusively so they don't affect patient's behavior.

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format and use of survey (questionnaire)

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researchers use questionnaires to gather info about specific aspects of participants' background and behavior.

strength: often used to obtain info on aspects of behavior that are difficult to observe directly, makes it easy to collect data on attitudes from large samples of participants

problem: depend on self-report data

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format and use of case study

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an in-depth investigation of an individual subject

variety of data collecting techniques: interviewing, direct observation, examination of records, psychological testing

typically involve investigators analyzing collection of case studies to look for patterns that permit general conclusions

strength: well suited for investigating certain phenomena such as psychological disorders

problem: highly subjective, researches focus selectively on info that fits with their expectations

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anecdotal evidence

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personal stories about specific incidents and experiences

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mean

Back 30

overall average

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outliers

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one number that is way off
extreme scores can skew the value of the mean

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median

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middle score that divides upper and lower half of the data set

even number of entries will have two medians

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mode

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data point that shows highest appearance

2 modes= bimodal

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standard deviation

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an index of the amount of variability in a set of data.

when variability is great SD is large
when variability is low SD is smaller

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normal vs. skewed distribution

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normal: when span of one SD in either direction covers approximately 68% of the overall data

skewed: when majority of numbers does not equal one SD plus or minus the mean

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z score

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measure of distance from the mean in units of SD

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two types of statistics used by psychologists and scientists

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descriptive and inferential

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positive vs. negative correlations

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positive: when 2 variables vary in the same direction
i.e. high gpa in high school = high gpa in college

negative: 2 variables that co-vary in opposite directions

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what inferential stats help determine...

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help researchers make decision:
are findings significant or reliable?

did stats match with hypothesis?

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generalizability

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to what extent findings apply to general population