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80 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Systematic Empiricism--and importance
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Systematically testing a hypothesis with a set procedure and operational definitions Important to research in order to make sure that it is able to be replicated through different samples or methods |
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Why is the scientific method important in relation to biases?
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Biases will skew what gets reported, so the scientific method will ensure there are no biases--it relies strictly on empiricism and objectivity |
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Define 1 of the 2 biases we discussed in lecture and give an example
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Confirmation bias: a person seeks to confirm their hypothesis without looking to disprove it Example: driving behind a slow person might make a person think that it's an elderly person, and when they look and it is their hypothesis is confirmed. They will ignore if it's not an elderly person |
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The four goals of scientific research are:
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to describe, explain, predict and control behavior
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We replicate studies using different ___ and different ____
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samples and methods
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People are likely to believe information presented b a speaker who is seen as prestigious, trustworthy, and credible because of a reliance on _____
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authority It might not be a reliable source sometimes, like how the media and Internet manipulate data sometimes. The news talks about studies but doesn't say the sample or if it's been replicated |
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Explain why this is basic research: Effect of situational factors son assessment of blame: a test of attribution theory"
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This is basic research because it is not directed towards a particular group of people or situation. Basic research is merely curiousty about how something works without implementing it towards a group.
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Quantitative vs. Qualitative research
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Quantitative: use of numbers and statistics when doing research Qualitative: using words and descriptions of the phenomenon being observed or manipulated If no numbers (just words), then it does not seem valid or reliable. Without words (just numbers), then a study can't be replicated because operational definitions are needed. |
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Research Hypothesis and where does it go in research proposal
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A research hypothesis is a clear prediction about how 2 variables (or more) will be related. The hypothesis goes at the end of the introduction
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One other database you could use to research your topic besides PsychINFO and what type of research you can find there
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Social Sciences Index can be used and it incorporates a variety of articles from different fields of study, like sociology
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IV and DV
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IV: variable being manipulated in a study DV: variable that shows an effect (or no effect) from the IV |
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Importance of IV and DV in relationship to a hypothesis
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A hypothesis needs to include the IV(s) and DV because it is predicting what will happen if something (the IV) gets manipulated
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Two types of websites preferable to .com's
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.gov websites are government websites that may publish information for research topics, as well as .orgs
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Participant vs. Subject
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A participant is willing to do an experiment and gives informed consent while a subject is forced to do the experiment. Subjects are typically animals in reserach
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Name a theory in psychology and discuss how it meets the criteria/definition of a theory
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Systems theory is the idea that if one system in a person's life (education, religion, school, family, culture, globally) is tweaked, all other systems are affected. This is a theory because it is a set of statements that provides a certain viewpoint for looking at things. It is also testable. |
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Meta-analysis vs. Lit review
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A meta-analysis is a statistical review of all studies on a certain topic while a literature review is a qualitative analysis of studies on a certain topic. Both are good sources because from there more research articles can be found or looked into.
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Generalization and why it's important
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Generalization is the ability to expand a study to other groups through replication. Researchers can draw broader conclusions when they can generalize findings of a study
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2 ways experimental designs control for confounds
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1. Laboratory setting (controls all potential environmental factors that may effect a study's outcome) 2. Control group (ensure that it is the manipulation of the IV that causes the DV) |
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Two factors we look at when examining external validity of a study
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Experimental control and random sampling This ensures that the findings are generalizable to bigger samples or the population; without controlling the environment or ensuring randomization, we cannot draw causal conclusions in experimental methods |
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Situational variable
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A description of the surroundings ex. temperature, number of chairs |
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Response variable
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an individual's response to a particular behavior or event ex. response to listening to lecture is taking notes |
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participant variable
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demographic variables, information about a participant ex. race, ethnicity, religion |
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Operational definition for anxiety using biopsychosocial model
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bio: heart rate, blood pressure psycho: psychological measurement (anxiety scale) social: amount of time someone spends alone |
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Moderator variable
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impacts the effect of one variable on another ex. vacation will decrease the effect of stress, while being laid off increases stress |
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Mediator variable
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psychological process that mediates the effect one variable has on another ex. stress causes decreased health, but the in-between variable is the immune system, which directly decreases health |
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Experimental method typically as high ____ validity and lower _____ validity
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internal (IV caused changes in DV) ; external (can generalize)
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Correlation is not causation because:
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Correlation, a non-experimental method, only identifies that there is a relationship between variables. It cannot determine causation because there could be a third variable that is causing this interaction and we wouldn't know because we don't have experimental control with observations made. Also because we do not know the directions in which variables vary (criterion could cause predictor and vice versa)
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Primary advantage of laboratory research over other research designs
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Experimental control means the environment is controlled, which can eliminate third variables since everyone does/gets the same thing. This is important for a study's internal validity
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2 other terms for confounds
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Third variable or extraneous variable. Confound is used when we identify the variable that is skewing the results. "Third variable" or "extraneous variable" is used when we know something is skewing the data, but we aren't sure what. |
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Abstract and its format
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Gets its own page and goes after title page. The page number is flushed right in the header with a condensed title in all caps flushed left. The word "Abstract" Is centered and not bolded.. An abstract gives an overview of each of the sections by pulling out 1-2 sentences from each section. This can ensure that a person gets an overall gist of the study, including the results, in 250 words or less.
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APA style regarding numbers in the body of the paper
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Any number from 1-10 (including 10) should be written out as "one" or "ten." Any number from 11 and above remain in number format unless you are beginning a sentence. If someone were to start the sentence with "25 students..." that would be wrong. It needs to be written as "Twenty-five students."
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use of et al. in 2 instances
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It's appropriate when using 3 or more authors in internal citations only after you have listed all their names in an internal citation when they are first cited. Also appropriate when internally citing 6 or more authors, but you never have to list all their names, just use the first author's last name and use et al.
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Three subsections in methods section
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Participants: all participants in the study, their ages, breakdown of gender, and other demographics Materials: discusses measurements that were used and reliability and validity procedure: includes all instructions in a detailed format to ensure the ability of replication Each of these sections are flushed to the left and bolded, with the paragraphs underneath them indented. |
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What statistic of variability would be related to an increase in measurement error and change a curve to one with little variability to one with more variability?
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Standard deviation can vary based on a measurement, which is how far a score is way from the mean. A wider curve shows more variability, more room for error, because there are less consistent, more varied results. A normal distribution with a low SD is tall, and shows more reliability than a wider one
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Two things that can be done to prevent reactivity (a person's awareness of being measured changes behavior)
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Allowing a participant to get used to the setting and all the equipment can reduce reactivity, because they will not be in sensory overload about this new environment. Limiting your contact with the participant's papers to ensure confidentiality can help. A person can be inclined to answer differently if they see that the researcher or other people knows that one particular paper is theirs
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Why do we use measures instead of surveys?
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We use measures because surveys do not have tests of reliability and validity. There is no way to make sure what someone is surveying is consistent nor are they as scientific as a measure
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Standardization process for measures
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This means giving the test out to thousands of individuals. Researchers do this to get a standard deviation. The wider the SD, the less reliable a measure is because there is more ariation
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Construct
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Something that is not tangible and cannot be tested by observable means. Measuring of constructs is used all the time in psychological research. An example would be intelligence or a particular personality trait |
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Systematic vs. Random error
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Systematic error indicates there is a bias when scores tend to lean in a more positive or more negative direction. Random error is a fluctuation in scores around an average score in either direction. Systematic error is worse because it shows something is skewing the results (the bias) while random error is expected and usually small.
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Every test score is thought to have two components. IN a score from a reliable test, which component should be relatively low? A. Validity B. Reliability C. True Score D. Measurement Error |
D
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To assess the reliability of a measure, one should ____ the measure A. directly observe the amount of true score B. directly observe the amount of measurement error in c. Systematically study the variables in D. calculate the correlation coefficient for |
B.
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If a measure is reliable, then you should find a a. high positive correlation coefficient b. low positive correlation coefficient c.correlation coefficient of zero d. low amount of true score |
A |
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Correlating the total score of the first twenty questions on a test with the total socre of the last twenty questions on a test is an example of what type or reliability? a. test-retest b. alternate-forms c. item-total d. split-half |
D |
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_____ is an indicator of reliability in which the researcher calculates the correlation of each item with every other item a. test-retest b. split-half c. Cronbach's alpha d. all of the above |
C.
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Face validity is more important to the person completing a measure than to the researcher True False |
True
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A measure has criterion-oriented validity to the extent that it a. enables one to make correct predictions about behavior b. seems to correctly and reliably measure the behavior c. meets the criteria of reliability and validity d. all of the above |
d
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You are making up a test to measure ability to succeed as an electronics assembly worker. In evaluating your test, you will be most concerned with a. reactivity b. construct validity c. face validity d. criterion-oriented validity |
d
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If research finds that candidates who score high on a medical college admissions test do better in medical school than those who score low on this test, we would say the test has ____ validity a. concurrent b. divergent c. discriminative d. predictive |
d. |
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which of the following is not a type of criterion-oriented validity? a. concurrent b. convergent c. discriminative d. face |
d |
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Jack finds his measure of math ability is not related to a person's language skills. this finding illustrates which type of validity? a. predictive b. face c. discriminant d. convergent |
c
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a measure is reactive if the measurement a. is unobstrusive b. occurs in a laboratory setting c. changes the behavior being studied d. is unreliable |
c
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Which of the following is in passive voice? A. she slammed on the brakes as the car sped down the hill. b. the brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill. |
b.
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Which of the following sections is on its own page? A. method b. results c. discussion d. none of the above |
d
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The maximum number of words in an APA style abstract is _____
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250
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The best way to write a method section of a research report is to include information that a. is essential to comprehend and replicate the study b. identifies every detail of the study c. is mainly general in nature d. refers the reader to previous studies on this topic. |
a |
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You should include in our research report a. only those references you have actually read b. any reference you have heard about c. any reference that is relevant d. all the references you can find on this topic |
a
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An interval scale is preferable to an ordinal scale because ___ a. simpler statistics can be used b. it rank orders individuals on some characteristic c. sophisticated statistics can be used d. it allows the measurement of individual differences |
c
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A teacher writes the results of a test on the board: 7 A's, 10 B's, 18 C's, 4 D's and 1 F. In statistical terms, this is a _____ b. measure of variability c. frequency distribution d. correlation table |
c
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A predictor variable is generally analogous to a ____variable in the experimental method a. confounded b. dependent c. independent d. extraneous |
c
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The magnitude of the impact of the intdependent variable on the dependent variable is reffered to as _____ a. statistical index b. effect size c. standard deviation d. linear degree |
b
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_______ statistics allow you to make statements that the results would happen if you were to conduct an experiment a number of times with multiple samples
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Inferential
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The null hypothesis is rejected whenever ___ a. past studies prove it wrong b. there is a low probability that the obtained results could be due to random error c. there is a high probability that the obtained results could be due to random error d. the researcher is convinced that the variable is ineffective in causing changes in behavior |
b
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How does sample size affect determinations of statistical significance? The _____ the sample the _____ a. larger; greater the probability the variable has an effect b. smaller; greater probability that the variable has an effect c. larger; the more confident you can be in your decision to reject or retain the null d. smaller; the more confident you can be in your decision to reject or retain the null hypothesis |
c
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A type ___ error is a decision to reject the null hypothesis when it is true
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1
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A type ____ error is a decision to accept the null hypothesis when it is not true
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2
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Which of the following is not true of the scientific approach? a. all propositions must be subjected to empirical tests b. the methods used to gather scientific evidence should be critically evaluated c. anything reported by a scientist is accurate d. scientific methods and evidence must be described in precise terms for replication |
c
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According to the text, scientific explanations are: a. empirical b. rational c. testable d. all of the above |
d |
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an explanation is empirical if it is a. based on widely held beleifs b. simple and makes few assumptions c. based on obersvation d. limited in scope |
c |
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One way we develop more ____ in our results is through ____ which is through repeating experiements a. truthfulness; generalization b. confidence; generalization c. truthfulness; replication d. confidence; replication |
d |
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When the results of an experiment are consistent with a prediction developed from a theory we can conclude that the theory is a. proven true b. less likely to be true c. supported by the results d. neither supported nor challenged by the results |
c
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____ is the process by which other scientists with the expertise judge the scientific merit of another's research and supports the idea of science as ______ a. intuition; authority b. peer review; publicly observable c. skepticism; testable d. falsifiability; confidence |
b
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You are hired by a local company to do research on improving employee moral. The research you conduct would best be classified as a. basic b. applied c. problem-oriented d. none of the above |
b
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according to your text, at the beginning of any research project, it is necessary to explore thoroughly prior research on the topic of interest because a. one should never replicate another study b. using someone else's research method plagiarism c. alternative explanations for results may be found d. librarians need work too |
c
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Because of tension between the police department and the citizens or Metropolis, the city council surveys residents for suggestions on how to improve police-community relations. This example best illustrates ___ as a source of research ideas a. observations of the world around us b. theories c. past research d. practical problems |
d
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An advantage of using past research to generate hypotheses is that a. new ideas are often generated from old ones b. replication of past research may lend support to the hypohtesis c. alternative explanations for results may be found d. all of the above |
d
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Which of the following is least true of an operational definition? It: a. allows the researcher to translate the variable into specific techniques used to measure or manipulate a variable b. forces the researcher to discuss abstract concepts in concrete terms c. prevents others from replicating one's results? d. allows a variable to be studied empirically |
c
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The nonexperimental method involves a. manipulation of an IV b. random assignment to groups c. measurement of participants on two variables d. elimination of the third-variable problem |
c
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What two problems arise when interpreting results obtained using the nonexperimental method? a. second variable problem and third variable problem b. third variable problem and direction of cause and effect c. direction of cause and effect and second variable problem d. none of the above |
b
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A study has high ___ validity when strong inferences can be made that one variable caused changes in the other variable a. inferential b. construct c. internal d. reliable |
c
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One disadvantage of the experimental method is a. control of extraneous third variables b. randomization of participant characteristics c. determination of cause-effect relationships d. use of artificial situations |
d
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