Ap Psychology Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Front 1

Replication

Back 1

Repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different subjects in different situations, to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other participants and circumstances.

Front 2

Case Study

Back 2

An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.

Front 3

Survey

Back 3

A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of peple usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them.

Front 4

Culture

Back 4

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Front 5

Hindsight Bias

Back 5

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have forseen it.

Front 6

Independent Variable

Back 6

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

Front 7

Dependent Variable

Back 7

The experimental factor- in psychology, the behavior or mental process- that is being measured; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

Front 8

False Consensus Effect

Back 8

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Front 9

Population

Back 9

All the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for study.

Front 10

Naturalistic Observation

Back 10

Observing and recordign behavior in naturally occuring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.

Front 11

Statistical significance

Back 11

A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occured by chance.

Front 12

Operational Definition

Back 12

A statement of the procedures used to define research variables. For example, intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures.

Front 13

Mode

Back 13

The most frequetnly ocurring score in a distribution.

Front 14

Mean

Back 14

The arithmetic average of distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.

Front 15

Median

Back 15

The middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it.

Front 16

Double-blind Procedure

Back 16

An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have recieved the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug evaluation studies.

Front 17

Illusory Correlation

Back 17

The perception of a relationship where none exists.

Front 18

Placebo Effect

Back 18

Any effect on behavior caused by a placebo. A placebo is an inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterize the active agent.

Front 19

Random Assignment

Back 19

Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups.

Front 20

Random Sample

Back 20

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance to inclusion.