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Week 1 terms

Terms in this set (41)

applied research.
Research whose goals are to enlarge the understanding of naturally occurring events and to find solutions to practical problems.
behavioural genetics.
A subfield of psychology that examines the role of genetic factors in behaviour.
behavioural economics.
An interdisciplinary subfield that focuses on how psychology - particularly social and cognitive psychology - relates to economic decision making.
basic research.
Research whose goal is to increase the understanding of human behaviour, often by testing hypotheses based on a theory.
bogus pipeline technique.
A procedure in which research participants are (falsely) led to believe that their responses will be verified by an infallible lie detector.
social psychology.
The scientific study of how individuals think, feel and behave in a social context
interactionist perspective.
An emphasis on how both an individual's personality and environmental characteristics influence behaviour.
social cognition.
The study of how people perceive, remember and interpret information about themselves and others.
social neuroscience.
The study of the relationship between neural and social processes.
behavioural genetics.
A subfield of psychology that examines the role of genetic factors in behaviour.
evolutionary psychology.
A subfield of psychology that uses the principles of evolution to understand human social behaviour.
Culture.
A system of enduring meanings, beliefs, values, assumptions, institutions and practices shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
cross-cultural research.
Research designed to compare and contrast people of different cultures.
multicultural research.
Research designed to examine racial and ethnic groups within cultures.
embodied cognition.
An interdisciplinary subfield that examines the close links between our minds and the positioning, experiences and actions of our bodies.
hypothesis.
A testable prediction about the conditions under which an event will occur.
Theory.
An organised set of principles used to explain observed phenomena.
operational definition.
The specific procedures for manipulating or measuring a conceptual variable.
construct validity.
The extent to which the measures used in a study measure the variables they were designed to measure and to which the manipulations in an experiment manipulate the variables they were designed to manipulate.
interrater reliability.
The degree to which different observers agree on their observations.
random sampling.
A method of selecting participants for a study so that everyone in a population has an equal chance of being in the study.
qualitative research.
A research method that seeks to identify what something means to a person.
quantitative research.
A research method that is concerned with quantifying a problem.
correlational research.
Research designed to measure the association between variables that are not manipulated by the researcher.
correlation coefficient.
A statistical measure of the strength and direction of the association between two variables.
Experiment.
A form of research that can demonstrate causal relationships because (1) the experimenter has control over the events that occur and (2) participants are randomly assigned to conditions.
random assignment.
A method of assigning participants to the various conditions of an experiment so that each participant in the experiment has an equal chance of being in any of the conditions.
subject variable.
A variable that characterises pre-existing differences among the participants in a study.
internal validity.
The degree to which there can be reasonable certainty that the independent variables in an experiment caused the effects obtained on the dependent variables.
Confound.
A factor other than the independent variable that varies between the conditions of an experiment, thereby calling into question what caused any effects on the dependent variable
experimenter expectancy effects.
The effects produced when an experimenter's expectations about the results of an experiment affect his or her behaviour towards a participant and thereby influence the participant's responses.
external validity.
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.
mundane realism.
The degree to which the experimental situation resembles places and events in the real world.
experimental realism.
The degree to which experimental procedures are involving to participants and lead them to behave naturally and spontaneously.
Deception.
In the context of research, a method that provides false information to participants.
Confederate.
An accomplice of an experimenter who, in dealing with the real participants in an experiment, acts as if she is also a participant.
meta-analysis.
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.
informed consent.
An individual's deliberate, voluntary decision to participate in research, based on the researcher's description of what will be required during such participation.
Debriefing.
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 emphasises the scientific contribution made by the participants' involvement.
dependent variable.
In an experiment, a factor that experimenters measure to see if it is affected by the independent variable.
independent variable.
In an experiment, a factor that experimenters manipulate to see if it affects the dependent variable.
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