 | Term | Definition |
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hindsight bias |
tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it; "I-knew-it-all-along" phenomenon |
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critical thinking |
thinking that does not blindy accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions |
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humility |
an awareness of our own vulnerability to error and an openness to surprises and new perspectives |
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theory |
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations. Useful summary of facts and principles. |
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hypothesis |
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory |
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operational definitions |
a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables. For example, intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures |
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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 |
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case study |
psychologists study one individual in great depth in the hope of revealing things true of us all |
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survey |
a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them |
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false consensus effect |
the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors |
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population |
all the cases in a grouop, from which samples may be drawn for a study |
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random sample |
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion |
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naturalistic observation |
observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation |
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correlation coefficient |
a statistical measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and these of how well either factor predicts the other |
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scatterplot |
a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables. The amount of scatter suggests the strength of the correlation (little scatter indicates high correlation) |
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illusory correlation |
the perception of a relationship where none exists |
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experiment |
a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process (dependent variable). By random assignment of participants, the experiment controls other relevant factors |
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blind |
uninformed |
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double-blind procedure |
an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are blind about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation theories. |
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placebo effect |
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent |
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experimental condition |
the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable |
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control condition |
the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment |
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random assignment |
assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups |
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random sampling |
helps us generalize to a larger population |
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independent variable |
the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied |
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dependent variable |
the experimental factor - in psychology, the behavior or mental processes- ths is being measured; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable |
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descriptive (research methods) |
to observe and record behavior; do case studies, surveys, or naturalistic observations; no manipulation; problems can be an atypical sample or biased observations |
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correlational (research methods) |
to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another; compute statistical association, sometimes among survey responses; no manipulation; problems - that it doesn't specify cause and effect |
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experimental (research methods) |
to explore cause and effet; manipulate one or more factors, use random assignment; manipulates independent variable; problems- sometimes not feasible; results may not generalize to other contexts |
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mode |
the most frequently occurring score in a distribution |
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mean |
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the nunber of scores |
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median |
the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it |
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range |
the difference between the highest and lowest scores (data) in a distribution |
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standard deviation |
a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score |
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statistical significance |
a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance |
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culture |
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next |
