Research Methods

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Alternative explantations

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could something else have caused this result. There should be no plausable alternative explanation for the relationship

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Applied Research

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Research that adresses issues in which there are practical problems and potential solutions. Often guided by theories and findings on basic research.

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Authority

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scientific approach rejects the notion that one can accept on faith the statements of any authority

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Basic Research

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Answers fundamental questions about the nature of behavior. Often adresses theoretical issues

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Covariation of cause and effect

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When the cause is present the effect occurs, when the cause is not present the effect does not occur

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Empiricism

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Knowledge is based on observation

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Goals of science

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1.describe the behavior, 2.predict behavior, 3.determin the cause of behavior, 4.understand or explain the behavior

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Intuition

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finding an explanation for our behavior or the behaviors of others

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Program evaluation

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evaluates the social reforms and innovationgs that occur in government, education, criminal justice system, industry, health care, and mental health insitituions

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Skepticism

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Ideas must be evaluated on the basis of careful logic and results for the scientific investigation

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Temporal Precedence

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temporal order of events in which the cause precedes the effect

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Abstract

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The summary of the research article. Includes info about the hypothesis, procedure and the broad patterns of results

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Discussion Section

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The researcher reviews the research form various prespectives. Support the hypothesis? need to give examples

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Hypothesis

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idea or question; makes a statement about something that may be ture

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Introduction section

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researcher outlines the problem that has been investigated, past research and theories relevant to the problem described, specific expectationsof the researcher are noted

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Literature Review

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Articles that summarize the research in a particular area

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Method Section

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overview of the research design, describes the participants, how were the participants recruited, how many, procedure of the study, very detailed

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Prediction

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guess of an outcome of the experiment

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Psychologiacal Abstracts

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breif summeries of articles in psychologyand related disciplines

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Results section

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presents the findings by description, statistical description, and graphs and tables

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Social Sciences Citation Index

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Citation information

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Theory

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provide a framework in which we can organize andexplain a variety of behaviors

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Confounding varibles

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third variables that may be responsible for an observed relationship between two variables

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Construct validity

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adequecy of the operational defianition of variables

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correlation coefficient

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numerical index of the strength of relationship between variables

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Curvilinear relationship

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increases in the values of one variable are accompanied by both increases and decreases in the values of the other variable

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Dependent variable

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the variable that is the effect, the measured variable

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Experimental control

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all extraneous variables are kept constant

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External validity

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extent to which the results can be generalized to other populations and settings

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Field experiment

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independent variable is manipulated in a natural setting

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Independent variable

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the manipulated variable , the "cause"

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Internal validity

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ability to draw conclusions about causual relationships for data

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Mediating variable

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psychological processes that mediate the effects of a situational variable on a particular responce

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Negative linear relationship

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in the values of one variable are accompanied by decreases in the values of the other variable

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Nonexperimental method (correlational method)

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relationships are studied by making observation or measures of the variable of interest

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Operational definition

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definition of the variable in terms of the operations or techniques the researchers uses to measure or manipulate it

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Participant (subject) variable

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individual differences

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positive linear relationship

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increase in the values, are accompanied by increases in the values of a second variable

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Randomization

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ensures that the extraneous variable is just as likely to affect one experimental group as it is to affect the other group

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Response variable

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are the responses or behaviors of individuals

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Situational variable

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describe characteristics of a situation or environment

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Variable

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is any event, situation, behavior, or individual characteristic that varies