Social Psych Ch. 2

Front 1

hypothesis

Back 1

a testable prediction about the conditions under which an event will occur

Front 2

theory

Back 2

an organized set of principles used to explain observed phenomena

Front 3

basic research

Back 3

research whose goal is to increase understanding of human behavior, often by testin hypotheses based on a theory

Front 4

applied research

Back 4

research whose goals are to enlarge the understanding of naturally occurring events and to find solutions to practical problems

Front 5

operational definition

Back 5

the specific procedures for manipulating or measuring a conceptual variable

Front 6

construct validity

Back 6

the extent to which the measures used in a study measure the variales they were designed to measure and the manipulations in an experiemnt manipulate the variables they were designed to manipulate

Front 7

interrater reliability

Back 7

the degree to which different observers agree on their observations

Front 8

random sampling

Back 8

a method of selecting participants for a study so that everyone in a population has an equal chance of being in the study

Front 9

correlational research

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research designed to measure the association between variables that are not manipulated by the research

Front 10

correlation coefficient

Back 10

a statistical measure of the strength and direction of the association between two variables

Front 11

experiment

Back 11

a form of research that can demonstrate casual relationships because (1)the experimenter has control over the events that occur and (2)participants are randomly assigned to conditions

Front 12

random assignment

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a method of assigning participants to the various conditions of an experiment so that each participant in the experiment has an equal chance of bein in any of the conditions

Front 13

independent variables

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in an experiment, the factors experimenters manipulate to see if they affect the dependent variables

Front 14

dependent variables

Back 14

in an experiment, the factors experimenters measure to see if they are affected by the independent variables

Front 15

subject variables

Back 15

variables that characterize pre-existing differences among participants ina study

Front 16

main effect

Back 16

a statistical term indicating the overall effect that an independent variable has on the dependent variable, ignoring all other independent variables

Front 17

interaction

Back 17

a statistical term indicating the change in the effect of each independent variable as a function of other independent variables

Front 18

internal validity

Back 18

the degree to which there can be reasonable certainty that the independent variables in an experiment cause the effects obtained on the dependent variables

Front 19

experimenter expectancy effects

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the effects produced when an experimenter's expectataions about the results of an experiment affect his or her behavior toward a participant and thereby influence the participant's responses

Front 20

external validity

Back 20

the degree to which there can be reasonable confidence that the results of a study would be obtained for other people and in other situations

Front 21

mundane realism

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the degree to which the experimental situation resembles places and events in the real world

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experimental realism

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the degree to which experimental procedures are involving to participants and lead them to behave naturally and spontaneously

Front 23

deception

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in the context of research, a method that provides false information to participants

Front 24

confederate

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accomplice of an experimenter who, in dealing with the real participants in an experiment, act as if he or she is also a participant

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meta-analysis

Back 25

a set of statistical procedures used to review a body of evidence by combining the results of individual studies to measure the overall reliability and strength of particular effects

Front 26

informed consent

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an individual's deliberate, voluntary decision to participate in research, based on the researcher's description of what will be required during such participation

Front 27

debriefing

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a disclosure, made to participants after research procedures are completed, in which the researcher explains the purpose of the research, attempts to resolve any negative feelings, and emphasizes the scientific contribution made by the participants' involvement