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CH 1 Griggs
Psychology: A Concise Introduction (6th Ed): Psychological Science
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| psychology | The science of behavior and mental processes. |
| biological perspective | A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how the brain, nervous system, and other physiological mechanisms produce behavior and mental processes. |
| cognitive perspective | A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how mental processes, such as perception, memory, and problem solving, work and impact behavior. |
| behavioral perspective | A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how external environmental events condition observable behavior. |
| sociocultural perspective | A research perspective whose major explanatory focus is how other people and the cultural context impact behavior and mental processes. |
| hindsight bias | (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) The tendency, after learning about an outcome, to be overconfident in one’s ability to have predicted it. |
| descriptive methods | Research methods whose main purpose is to provide objective and detailed descriptions of behavior and mental processes. |
| naturalistic observation | A descriptive research method in which the behavior of interest is observed in its natural setting, and the researcher does not intervene in the behavior being observed. |
| participant observation | A descriptive research method in which the observer becomes part of the group being observed. |
| case study | A descriptive research method in which the researcher studies an individual in depth over an extended period of time. |
| 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. |
| population | The entire group of people that a researcher is studying. |
| 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. |
| correlational study | A research study in which two variables are measured to determine if they are related (how well either one predicts the other). |
| variable | Any factor that can take on more than one value. |
| correlation coefficient | A statistic that tells us the type and the strength of the relationship between two variables, it can be positive (+) or negative (-) and the closer it gets to the absolute value of 1.0, the stronger the relationship. |
| positive correlation | A direct relationship between two variables. |
| negative correlation | An inverse relationship between two variables. |
| regression toward the mean | The tendency for extreme or unusual values on one variable to be matched on average with less extreme values on the other variable when the two variables are not perfectly correlated. |
| mean | The numerical average of a distribution of scores. |
| scatterplot | A visual depiction of correlational data in which each data point represents the scores on the two variables for each participant. |
| 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. |
| spurious correlation | A correlation in which the variables are related through their relationship with one or more other variables but not through a causal mechanism. |
| 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. |
| independent variable | In an experiment, the variable that is a hypothesized cause and thus is manipulated by the experimenter. |
| dependent variable | In an experiment, a variable that is hypothesized to be affected by the independent variable and thus is measured by the experimenter. |
| 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 exposed to the independent variable. |
| control group | In an experiment, the group not exposed to the independent variable. |
| operational definition | A description of the operations or procedures that a researcher uses to manipulate or measure a variable. |
| placebo effect | Improvement due to the expectation of improving because of receiving treatment. |
| placebo | An inactive pill or a treatment that has no known effects. |
| nocebo effect | A negative placebo effect due to the expectation of adverse consequences from receiving treatment. |
| placebo group | A control group of participants who believe they are receiving treatment, but who are only receiving a placebo. |
| inferential statistical analyses | Statistical analyses that allow researchers to draw conclusions about the results of a study by determining the probability that the results are due to random variation (chance), if less than .05, the results are statistically significant. |
| 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. |
| meta-analysis | A statistical technique that combines the results of a large number of studies on one experimental question into one analysis to arrive at an overall conclusion. |
| descriptive statistics | Statistics that describe the results of a research study in a concise fashion. |
| frequency distribution | A depiction, in a table or figure, of the number of participants (frequency) receiving each score for a variable. |
| 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 occurring score in a distribution of scores. |
| range | The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution of scores. |
| standard deviation | The average extent that the scores vary from the mean for a distribution of scores. |
| normal distribution | A frequency distribution that is shaped like a bell. About 68% of the scores fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% within 2 standard deviations of the mean, and over 99% within 3 standard deviations of the mean. |
| percentile rank | The percentage of scores below a specific score 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. |
| 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. |
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