Module Two Exam Review-Research Methods

Question 1

What specific study types fall under descriptive research designs?

Accepted Answer

Laboratory Observation and Survey, Naturalistic Observation, Cross-sectional, Case studies

Question 2

What is a control group?

Accepted Answer

Composed of the group that does not recieve experimental treatment

Question 3

What is the third variable problem?

Accepted Answer

A third variable leads to a mistaken relatinship between two others

Question 4

What is the median?

Accepted Answer

The middle number in an ordered data set

Question 5

What is a hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

Testable prediction about how the world will behave if our idea is correct

Question 6

What are the steps of the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

Theory, Hypothesis, Collect Data, Analyze Data, Summarize Data, Report

Question 7

What is an independent variable?

Accepted Answer

A variable the scientist changes

Question 8

What is a dependent variable?

Accepted Answer

A variable that changes as a result of a changed variable

Question 9

What is an experimental group?

Accepted Answer

Treatment group, recieves the treatment the researchers wish to study

Question 10

What are measures of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Mean, Median, Mode

Question 11

What are correlational studies?

Accepted Answer

Claims a relationship between two variables, Artificial settings the correlations are tested in questions the validity

Question 12

What are different types of correlational research?

Accepted Answer

Surveys, Archival, Naturalistic Observational

Question 13

What is a confirmaton bias?

Accepted Answer

Seeking evidence to support an idea, rather than refute it

Question 14

How are hypotheses created?

Accepted Answer

Deductive Reasoning, Built off of theories, In a falsifiable format

Question 15

What is a theory?

Accepted Answer

A well developed set of ideas that explain an observed phenomena, Uses inductive reasoning

Question 16

What are descriptive research designs?

Accepted Answer

Describes a phenomenon, situation, or population, Aims to obtain information to systematically

Question 17

What are measures of variability?

Accepted Answer

Liable to change, lack of consistancy or fixed pattern

Question 18

What is reliability?

Accepted Answer

The ability to consistantly produce a given result

Question 19

What does it mean to operationalize something?

Accepted Answer

To precisely define, especially variables

Question 20

How are participants assigned to experimental and control groups?

Accepted Answer

Randomly

Question 21

What are variables?

Accepted Answer

Elements that are liable to change

Question 22

What is a correlation coefficient?

Accepted Answer

0 means the variables are not related at all, Higher absolute value of a number ( -1 to 1) indicates strong relationship, Represented by the letter r

Question 23

What is ecological validity?

Accepted Answer

The degree to which results translate to real world applications

Question 24

What are measures of variability?

Accepted Answer

Variance, Interquartile Range, Standard Deviation, Range

Question 25

What are expectancy effects?

Accepted Answer

When a particpant's expectation of a treatment brings about expected result

Question 26

What is range?

Accepted Answer

The difference between the highest and lowest values

Question 27

Why should hypotheses be falsifiable?

Accepted Answer

Allows for greater confidance in the information produced, So you can test it in an experiment

Question 28

What must an experiment have?

Accepted Answer

An experimental group and a control group, A testable hypothesis, Operationalized variables and directions

Question 29

What do we mean when we say that something is statistically significant?

Accepted Answer

How likely a result is due to chance, When there is a large enough difference between two groups

Question 30

What are descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Used to describe or summarize data in ways that are meaningful and useful

Question 31

What are the strengths/weaknesses of case studies?

Accepted Answer

Less ability to replicate the study, Does not apply to the average population

Question 32

What is Longitudinal Research?

Accepted Answer

Research with data collected repeatedly over a long period of time

Question 33

What is validity?

Accepted Answer

How accurate the measurement tool is

Question 34

What are some ethical guidelines for psychologists conducting research?

Accepted Answer

If federally funded human research, must submit to the IRB, Informed consent of patients, Must submit to IACUC when conducting animal research

Question 35

What does it mean if something is positively or negatively correlated?

Accepted Answer

Positive correlation means both variables move in the same direction, Negative correlation means both variables move in different directions

Question 36

What are the strengths/weaknesses of cross-cultural studies?

Accepted Answer

There remains a need to go beyond simple psychological descriptions, Helps combat how white, American, and male centeredpsychology can be

Question 37

What is face validity?

Accepted Answer

The degree to which something seems true on the surface

Question 38

What is interquartile range?

Accepted Answer

The range of the middle half of a distribution

Question 39

How can a researcher try to avoid expectancy effects?

Accepted Answer

Random selection, Give a placebo to the control group

Question 40

What are the strengths/weaknesses of naturalistic observation?

Accepted Answer

Allows scientists to observe behavior in a natural setting, It can be difficult to blend in, People are less likely to fake behavior

Question 41

What are the strengths/weaknesses of laboratory observation?

Accepted Answer

People are more likely to behave unusually, Easily controlled

Question 42

What is construct validity?

Accepted Answer

The degree to which a given variable measures what it's intended to measure

Question 43

What is the mean?

Accepted Answer

The average of all the numbers in a set

Question 44

What are some ways that we can pick participants for studies?

Accepted Answer

Random sample, if possible, Random assignment, if possible

Question 45

What is the mode?

Accepted Answer

The most frequent number in a set

Question 46

What are confounds?

Accepted Answer

Factors other than the independent variable that may cause a result, When other variables make results from the independent variable confusing

Question 47

What are experiments?

Accepted Answer

Only the single independent relationship is manipulated, An investigation where a hypothesis is scientifically tested

Question 48

What are the strengths/weaknesses of surveys?

Accepted Answer

Easy for particpants to take part in, There is little way to tell the accuracy of people's answers

Question 49

What is variance?

Accepted Answer

Average of squared distances from the mean

Question 50

What is standard deviation

Accepted Answer

Average distance from the mean

Question 51

What are illusory correlations?

Accepted Answer

The appearance of a relationship that does not exist

Question 52

What is Archival Research?

Accepted Answer

Scientists have little control over the original data collection methods, Utilizes existing records

Module Two Exam Review-Research Methods

Questions 52

Module Two Exam Review-Research Methods

Questions 52