- behavioral perspective
- research perspective whose major focus is how external enviornmental events condition observable behavior
- biological perspective
- research perspective whose major focus is how the brain, nervous system, and other physiological mechanisms produce behavior and mental processes
- case study
- a descriptive research method in which the researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time
- cognitive perspective
- research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how mental processes like perception, memory, and problem solving, work and impact behavior
- control group
- in an experiment, the group is not exposed to the independent variable
- correlational coefficent
- a statistic that tells us the type and the strength of the relationship between two variables. The sign of the coefficent (+ or -) indicates the type of correlation (positive or negative). The absolute value of the coefficent represents the strength of the correlation (1 being max strength).
- correlational study
- a research study in which two variables are measured to determine if they are related (how well each one predicts the other)
- dependent variable
- in an experiment, a variable that is hypothesized the be affected by the independent variable and thus is measured by the experimenter
- descriptive methods
- research methods whose main purpose is to provide objective and detailed descriptions of behavior and mental processes
- descriptive statistics
- statistics that describe the results of a research study in a concise fashion
- double-blind procedure
- a control measure in an experiment in which neither the experimenters nor the participants know which participants are in the experimental and control groups
- experiment
- a research method in which the researcher manipulates one or more independent variables and measures their effect on one or more dependent variables while controlling other potentially relevant variables
- experimental group
- in an experiment, the group is exposed to the independent variable
- frequency distribution
- a depiction, in a table or figure, of the number of participants (frequency) recieving each score for a variable
- hindsight bias
- tendency to, after having learned an outcome, to be overconfident in one's ability to have predicted it all along
- independent variable
- in an experiment, a variable that is a hypothesized cause and thus is manipulated by the experimenter
- inferential statistical analyses
- statistical analyses that allow researchers to draw conclusions about the results of a study by determining the probability the results are due to random variation (chance). The results are statistically significant if this probability is .05 or less
- left-skewed distribution
- an asymmetric frequency distribution in which there are some unusually low scores that distort the mean to be less than the median
- mean
- the numerical average of a distribution of scores
- median
- the score positioned in the middle of a distribution of scores when all of the scores are arranged from lowest to highest
- mode
- the most frequently occuring score in a distribution of scores
- naturalistic observation
- a descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest is observed in its natural setting, and the research does not intervene in the behavior being observed
- negative correlation
- an inverse relationship between two variables
- normal distribution
- a frequency distribution that is shaped like a bell. About 68% of scores fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% fall within 2 standard deviations of the mean, and over 99% fall within three standard deviations of the mean
- operational definition
- a description of the operations or procedures that a researcher uses to manipulate or measure a variable
- participant observation
- a descriptive research method in which the observer becomes part of the group being observed
- percentile rank
- the percentage of scores below a specific score in a distribution of scores
- placebo
- an inactive pill or treatment that has no known effects
- placebo effect
- improvement due to the exception of improving because of recieving treatment
- placebo group
- a control group of participants who believe they are recieving treatment, but who are only recieving a placebo
- population
- the entire group of people that a researcher is studying
- positive correlation
- a direct relationship between two variables
- psychology
- the science of behavior and mental processes
- random assignment
- a control measure in which participants are randomly assigned to groups in order to equalize participant characteristics across the various groups in an experiment
- random sampling
- a sampling technique that obtains a representative sample of a population by ensuring that each individual in a population has an equal opportunity to be in the sample
- range
- the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution of scores
- right-skewed distribution
- an asymmetric frequency distribution in which there are some unusually high scores that distort the mean to be greater than the median
- sample
- the subset of a population that actually participates in a research study
- scatterplot
- a visual depiction of correlational data in which each data point represents the scores on the two variables for each participant
- sociocultural perspective
- a research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how other people and the cultural context impact behavior and mental processes
- standard deviation
- the average extent that the scores vary from the mean for a distribution of scores
- survey research
- a descriptive research method in which the researcher uses questionnaires and interviews to collect information about the behavior, beliefs, and attitudes of particular groups of people
- third-variable problem
- an explanation of a correlation between two variables in terms of another (third) variable that could possibly be responsible for the observed relationship between the two variables
- variable
- any factor that can take on more than one value
