Psycho 104 - Ch. 2

Question 1

How do we obtain info about people that relate to our theories?

Answer 1

Scientific Observation!

Very different than casual observation, it requires precise measurement techniques

Question 2

Define Operational Definition

Answer 2

Defining a concept or variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce or measure it

Question 3

Measurements must have WHAT 3 things in order to be effective?

Answer 3

Reliability: the measure must produce the same measurement when it is used to measure the same thing

Validity: Measure must be conceptually related to the property of the study

Power: The ability of a measure to detect the conditions specified in the operational definition

Question 4

Why is it difficult to study humans?

Answer 4

Complexity: 500 million interconnected neurons make up our brains

Variability: We are all different

Reactivity: Humans react when they know when theyre being observed vs when theyre not

-Psychology has many empirical challenges because it often involves studying UNOBSERVABLE MENTAL PROCESSES

Question 5

Define Demand Characteristics

Answer 5

Those aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think they should

Question 6

What are the two main types of Observer Biases?

Answer 6

1) Expectations can influence measurements
- Sometimes experimenters see what they wish to see

2) Expectations can influence reality
- Experimenters can unconsciously cue people to respond like they want people to respond

Question 7

What are the ways to deal with observer bias?

Answer 7

1) Double-Blind Studies
- When neither the researcher nor the participant knows which treatment is under study, and which treatment is a control

2) Using automated measurement devices (Computers)

Question 8

What are the 3 types of commonly used graphical representations of data in psychology?

Answer 8

1) Frequency distributions
2) Histograms
3) Box Plots

Question 9

What are some of the Measures of Central Tendency?

Answer 9

Mode: The value of the most frequency observed measurement

Mean: The average value of all measurements

Median: The value that is in the middle of the distribution

Question 10

What is The Normal Distribution

Answer 10

Also known as GAUSSIAN DISTRIBUTION or BELL-CURVE

It is symmetrical, and it peaks in the middle of the plot, and it tails off on both ends

Question 11

What are Deceptive Statistics?

Answer 11

Methods for describing and summarizing data

CENTRAL TENDENCY: Statements about the value of measurements that tend to lie near the centre or midpoint of a distribution

VARIABILITY: Statements that describe the extent to which measurements differ from one another

Question 12

What are the two most common measures of variability?

Answer 12

1) Range
- The value of the largest measurement in a frequency distribution minus the value of the smallest measurement

2) Standard Deviation
- A stat that describes the average difference between the measurements in a frequency dist and the mean of that dist

Question 13

Correlation Benefits

Answer 13

Can allow researchers to make knowledgeable predictions about the future/past

Can be used to study things where the manipulation of variables is unethical or impossible

Question 14

Correlation does not equal…

Answer 14

CAUSATION

Question 15

What is the Third Variable Problem

Answer 15

when two variables are related to one another only because they are both casually related to the third variable

Question 16

What two methods can you use to control the third variable?

Answer 16

1) Matched Samples Technique

2) Matches Pairs Technique

Question 17

What is the KEY aspect required in experimentation?

Answer 17

MANIPULATION

Question 18

What are the 4 Critical Steps of Manipulation?

Answer 18

Step 1: Determine what you want to study and identify your variables and measures

-Also need to decide on a design: BETWEEN-SUBJECTS or WITHIN-SUBJECTS

Step 2: Manipulate your Independent Variable

Step 3: Measure your DV

Step 4: Check for affect and draw conclusions

Question 19

Why do we need “Random Assignment”?

Answer 19

To make sure our conclusions are applicable to a population

Question 20

What is Random Assignment?

Answer 20

A procedure that uses a random event to assign people to the experimental or control group

Question 21

What is Internal Validity?

Answer 21

the degree to which an experiment produces clear casual conclusions;

Internal validity is HIGH when there is no confounding of variables

Question 22

External Validity

Answer 22

The degree to which the results of a study can be generalized to other people, settings, and conditions

Question 23

What is Random Sampling?

Answer 23

A technique for choosing participants that ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample