Psych Ch. 1
About this set
Created by:
Lady_FrazzFrazz Plus on January 18, 2012
Subjects:
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
30 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 hindsight bias | the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it |
| critical thinking | thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions; rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence and assesses conclusions |
| theory | an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events |
| hypothesis | a testable prediction, often implied by a theory |
| operational definition | a statement of the procedures used to define research variables |
| replication | repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances |
| case study | an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles |
| survey | a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them |
| false consensus effect | the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors |
| population | all the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn for a study |
| random sample | a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion |
| naturalistic observation | observing and recording behavior in naturally occuring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation |
| correlation | a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other |
| scatterplot | a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables |
| illusory correlation | the perception of a relationship where none exists |
| experiment | a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process |
| double blind procedure | an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo |
| placebo effect | experimental results caused by expectations alone |
| experimental condition | the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment |
| control condition | the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition that serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment |
| random assignment | assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups |
| independent variable | the experimental factor that is manipulated |
| dependent variable | the outcome factor |
| mode | the most frequently occurring scores in a distribution |
| mean | the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and dividing by number of scores |
| median | the middle score in a distribution |
| range | the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution |
| standard deviation | a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score |
| statistical significance | a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occured by chance |
| culture | the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.