Myers Psychology for AP Unit 2 - Statistics

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would've foreseen it

thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather it examines assumptions, assesses the source, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions

an awareness of our own vulnerability to error and an openness to surprises

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

a testable prediction, often implied by a theory

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedure used in a research study

repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

all those in a group being studied, from which samples may be drawn

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

a measure of the extent to which two variables change together, and thus how well either variable predicts the other

a statistical index of the relationship between two variables (from -1.0 to +1.0)

a graphed cluster of dots, each which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the two variables

the perception of a relationship where none exists

a research method in which a researcher manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

in an experiment, the group exposed to the exposed to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable

in an experiment, the group NOT exposed to the treatment

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between groups

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether have received the treatment or the placebo

experimental results caused by expectations alone

the experimental factor that is being manipulated

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in the experiment

the outcome factor

the extent to which a test or experiment measures what it is supposed to

Conducted through case studies, naturalistic observation, or surveys to observe and record behavior

Conducted through collecting data on two or more variables to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how one variable influences the other

Conducted by manipulating one or more variables to explore cause effect

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups

a bar graph depicting a frequency distribution

the most frequently occurring score in a data set

the average of the scores in a data set

the middle score in a data set

a representation of scores that lack symmetry around their average values

the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution

a computed measure by how much scores vary around the mean score

a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data

numerical data that allow one to generalize--to infer from sample data the probability of something being true of a population

a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted on to the next generation

an ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

the post experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants