Psychology Ch. 2

Front 1

Theory

Back 1

organized set of concepts that explains a phenomenon or set of phenomenon

Front 2

Determinism

Back 2

idea that all events (physical, mental, and behavioral) are result of or determined by specific causal factors

Front 3

Hypothesis

Back 3

tentative and testable statement about the relationship between causes and consequences

Front 4

Observer bias

Back 4

error due to personal motives and expectations of the viewer

Front 5

standardization

Back 5

using uniform consistent procedures in all phases of data collection

Front 6

operational definition

Back 6

standardizes meaning within an experiment by defining concept in terms of specific operations or procedures used to measure/determine its presence

Front 7

independent variable

Back 7

factor that researcher manipulates; causal part of relationship

Front 8

dependent variable

Back 8

what the experiment measures; effect of relationship

Front 9

behavioral measures

Back 9

ways to study overt actions & observable /recordable reactions

Front 10

between-subject designs

Back 10

different groups of participants are randomly assigned by chance procedures to an experimental condition or to a control condition

Front 11

case study

Back 11

focus measures on a single individual or small group

Front 12

confounding variable

Back 12

something other than what the experimenter purposely introduces into the research setting that changes the participants behavior & adds confusion to the interpretation of data

Front 13

control procedures

Back 13

methods that attempt to hold constant all variables & conditions other than those related to the hypothesis being tested

Front 14

correlation coefficient (r)

Back 14

statistic that indicates the degree of relationship between 2 variables

Front 15

correlational methods

Back 15

research methodologies that determine to what extent 2 variables, traits, or attributes are related

Front 16

debriefing

Back 16

procedure conducted at the end of an experiment in which the researcher provides the participant with info about the study & makes sure that no one leaves feeling bad

Front 17

double-blind control

Back 17

both experimental participants and assistants unaware of which participants get what treatment

Front 18

expectancy effects

Back 18

occurs when a researcher/observer subtly communicates to the participants the behaviors he expects to find thereby producing the desired reaction

Front 19

placebo effect

Back 19

occurs when participants change their behavior in the absence of any kind of experimental manipulation

Front 20

reliability

Back 20

consistency/dependability of behavioral data resulting from testing or research

Front 21

representative sample

Back 21

closely matches the overall characteristics of the population with respect to gender, race, etc.

Front 22

self-report measures

Back 22

verbal answers either written or spoken to questions the researcher poses

Front 23

validity

Back 23

data accurately measures the psychological variable or quality it is intended to measure

Front 24

variable

Back 24

any factor that varies in amount or kind

Front 25

within-subject design

Back 25

uses participant as his/her own control; ex: one person before and after.

Front 26

placebo control

Back 26

experimental condition in which treatment is not administered

Front 27

what is the relationship between theories & hypothesis?

Back 27

theories attempt to explain phenomena. those explanations should generate new hypothesis or testable consequences of theory

Front 28

what steps researches take to overcome observer bias?

Back 28

researchers can standardize their procedures and provide operational definitions for their variables

Front 29

why do researchers use double blind controls?

Back 29

researchers use double blind controls so that expectations they bring to research setting can't have an impact on the studies' results

Front 30

what is meant by within subject design?

Back 30

each participant serves as his or her own control

Front 31

why does correlation not imply causation?

Back 31

indicates the extent to which 2 variables are related--it doesn't give any indication of why that relationship exists

Front 32

why can some measure be reliable but not valid?

Back 32

if a measure is reliable, it yields comparable value when repeated. but that value might still not accurately reflect the psychological variable that the researcher is after. that's why shoe size would be a reliable but not valid measure of happiness

Front 33

why is it important for interviewers to establish rapport?

Back 33

create a context in which people are willing to provide information through self-reports that might be highly personal or sensitive

Front 34

suppose researcher spends time observing children's behavior at a playground. what kind of measure would that be?

Back 34

engaged in naturalistic observation of the kids' behavior

Front 35

what is purpose of informed consent?

Back 35

participants have opportunity to understand their rights/responsibilities before they choose to engage

Front 36

what recommendation about research settings do researchers make in regards to use of animals as research participants?

Back 36

ethical considerations support research in more naturalistic settings.

Front 37

what percentage of people believed in naturalistic settings?

Back 37

80%

Front 38

teachers and students _______ of studies involving physical pain/death of animals

Back 38

disapproved

Front 39

what percentage supported use of animals in undergrad psychology courses?

Back 39

60%

Front 40

what fraction of the group felt that work with laboratory animals should be required for undergrad psychology major?

Back 40

1/3

Front 41

T/F
Avoid inference that correlation is causation

Back 41

T

Front 42

T/F
Ask that critical terms and key concepts be defined operationally so that their is consensus about their meaning

Back 42

T

Front 43

Consider first how to ______a theory, hypothesis, or belief before seeking ______evidence, which is easy to find when you're looking for ___________.

Back 43

disprove/confirming/justification

Front 44

Always search for ___________explanation to the obvious ones proposed, especially when explanations benefit the __________

Back 44

alternative/proposer

Front 45

recognize how personal _______can distort perceptions of reality

Back 45

distort

Front 46

be _________of simple answers to complex questions or single causes and cures for complex effects and problems

Back 46

suspicious

Front 47

question any statement about the ________of some treatment, intervention, or product by finding the __________ basis for the effect

Back 47

effectiveness/comparative

Front 48

Be _________ yet skeptical. recognize that most conclusions are __________ and not certain; seek new evidence that ___________your uncertainty while keeping yourself _________ to change and revision

Back 48

open minded/tentative/decreases/open

Front 49

challenge authority that uses _________ opinion in place of evidence for conclusions and is not _______ to constructive criticism

Back 49

personal/open