Chapter 2 Psych Vocab

Front 1

Any of the factors in an experiment that are controlled or observed by an experimenter or that in some other way affect the outcome

Back 1

variables

Front 2

a tentative statement about the expected relationship between 2 or more variables

Back 2

hypothesis

Front 3

precisely defines each variable in a study in terms of the operations needed to produce or measure that variable

Back 3

operational definition

Front 4

persons or animals whose behavior is being studied; means the same thing as participants

Back 4

subjects

Front 5

differing ways of conducting research, which include experiments, case studies, surveys and naturalistic observation

Back 5

research methods

Front 6

a research method in which independent variables are manipulated and which permits casual interpretations

Back 6

experiment

Front 7

a condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to observe its impact

Back 7

independent variable

Front 8

the variable that results from the manipulation in an experiment

Back 8

dependent variable

Front 9

the group in an experiment that receives a treatment as part of the independent variable manipulation

Back 9

experimental group

Front 10

the group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment

Back 10

control group

Front 11

any variables other than the independent variables that seem likely to influence the dependent measure in an experiment

Back 11

extraneous variables

Front 12

distribution of subjects in an experiment in which each subject has an equal chance of being assigned to any group or condition

Back 12

random assignment

Front 13

a link or association between variables such that one can be predicted from the other

Back 13

correlation

Front 14

the statistic that indicates the degree of relationship between variables

Back 14

correlation coefficient

Front 15

a research method in which the researcher observes behavior in the natural environment without directly interfering

Back 15

naturalistic observation

Front 16

an in-depth, generally subjective, investigation of an individual subject

Back 16

case study

Front 17

a questionnaire or interview used to gather information about specific aspects of subjects' behavior

Back 17

survey

Front 18

procedures for making empirical observations, including questionnaires, interviews, psychological tests, and physiological recordings.

Back 18

data collection techniques

Front 19

mathematical techniques that help in organizing, summarizing, and interpreting numerical data

Back 19

statistics

Front 20

statistics helpful in organizing and summarizing (but not interpreting) data

Back 20

descriptive statistics

Front 21

statistical procedures used to interpret data in an experiment and draw conclusions

Back 21

inferential statistics

Front 22

a statistical procedure that combines the results of many studies

Back 22

meta-analysis

Front 23

a descriptive statistic and measure of central tendency that always falls in the exact halfway point in a distribution of data

Back 23

median

Front 24

the arithmetic average

Back 24

mean

Front 25

the score that occurs most frequently

Back 25

mode

Front 26

the spread or dispersion of data, including the extent to which scores vary from the mean

Back 26

variability

Front 27

a measure of variability in data

Back 27

standard deviation

Front 28

a judgment inferred from statistics that the probability of the observed findings occurring by chance is very low

Back 28

statistical significance

Front 29

a repetition of a study to determine whether the previously obtained results can be duplicated

Back 29

replication

Front 30

a group of subjects taken from a population

Back 30

sample

Front 31

a larger group from which a sample is drawn and to which the researcher wishes to generalize

Back 31

population

Front 32

exists when a sample is not representative of the population from which it was drawn

Back 32

sampling bias

Front 33

also known as subjects, the individuals whose behavior is systematically observed in a study

Back 33

participants

Front 34

occurs when a researcher's expectations influence the results of the study

Back 34

experimenter's bias

Front 35

effects that occur when subjects experience a change due to their expectations (or due to a 'fake' treatment)

Back 35

placebo effect

Front 36

the tendency to respond in a particular way (e.g. agreeing) that is unrelated to the content of questions asked

Back 36

response set

Front 37

occurs when a extraneous variable makes it difficult to sort out the effects of the independent variable

Back 37

confounding of variables

Front 38

the tendency to answer questions about oneself in a socially approved manner

Back 38

social desirability bias

Front 39

a research strategy in which neither the subjects nor experimenters know which condition or treatment the subjects are in

Back 39

double-blind procedure

Front 40

a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material within a discipline

Back 40

journal

Front 41

a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations

Back 41

theory

Front 42

support for a particular point of view through the use of personal (and frequently vivid) stories.

Back 42

anecdotal evidence