General Psychology Ch.2 Terms, Key People

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Anecdotal evidence

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which consists of personal stories about specific incidents and experience. (unreliable information)

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Case study

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is an in depth investigation of an individual subject.

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Confounding of variables

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occurs when two variables are linked together in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their specific effects.

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Control group

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consists of similar subject who do not receive the special treatment given to the experimental group.

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Correlation

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exists when two variables are related to each other.

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Correlation coefficient

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is a numeral index of the degree of relationship between two variables.

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Data collection techniques

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are procedures for making empirical observations and movements

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Dependent variable

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is the the variable thought to be affected by manipulation of the independent variable.

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Descriptive statistics

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are used to organize and summarize data.

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Double blind procedure

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is a research strategy in which neither participants nor experimenters know which subjects are in the experimental or control groups.

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Experiment

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a research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result.

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Experimental group

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consists of the subjects who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable.

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Experimenter bias

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occurs when a researcher's expectations or preference about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained.

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Extraneous variables

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are any variables other than the independent variable that seem likely to influence the dependent variable in a specific study.

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Hypothesis

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a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

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Independent variable

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a condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable.

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Inferential statistics

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are used to interpret data and draw conclusions.

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Internet mediated research

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refers to studies in which data collection occurs over the internet.

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Journal

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is a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry.

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Mean

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is the arithmetic average of the scores in a distribution.

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Median

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is the score that falls exactly in the center of a distribution of scores.

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Mode

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the most frequent score in a distribution.

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Naturalistic observation

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is when a researcher engages in careful observation of behavior without intervening directly with the subjects.

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Operational definition

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describes the actions or operations that will be used to measure or control a variable.

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Participants

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or subjects, are the persons or animals whose behavior is systematically observed in a study.

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Placebo effects

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occur when participants' expectations lead them to experience some change even though they receive empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment.

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Population

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a large collection of animals or people that researchers want to generalize about.

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Random assignment

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(of subjects) occurs when all subjects have an equal chance o being assigned to any group or condition in the study.

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Reactivity

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occurs when a subject's behavior is altered by the presence of an observer.

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Replication

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is the repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results are duplicated.

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Research methods

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consist of various approaches to the observation, measurement, manipulation, and control of variables in empirical studies.

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Response set

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is a tendency to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the content of the question.

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Sample

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is the collection of subjects selected for observation in an empirical study.

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Sampling bias

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

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Social desirability bias

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is the tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself.

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Standard deviation

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is an index of the amount of variability in a set of data.

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Statistical significance

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is said to exist when the probability the the observed findings are due to chance is very low. < .05 level of significance.

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Statistics

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is the use of mathematics to organize, summarize, and interpret numerical data.

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Subjects

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or participants, are persons or animal whose behavior is systematically observed in a study.

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Survey

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researchers use questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of participants background, attitudes, beliefs, or behavior.

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Theory

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

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Variability

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refers to how much the scores in a data set vary from each other and from the mean.

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Variables

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are any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study.

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Neal Miller

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stressed importance of animal research.

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Robert Rosenthal

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his research suggests that experimenter bias may unintentionally influence the behavior of subjects.

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Stanley Schachter

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Social Psychologist
Does misery love company?
Studied anxiety response.