Chapter 2 Worksheet

Anything that can change
A broad idea or set of closely related ideas that attempts to explain observations and to make predictions about future observations.
Educated guess. a supposition or proposed explanation made based on limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
A definition that provides an objective description of how a variable is going to be measured and observed in a study.
the statistical procedure for combining data from multiple studies.
is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied
An in depth look at a single individual
Research that examines the relations between variables with the purpose of determining whether and how two variables change together
A type of confounding in which a third variable leads to a mistaken causal relationship between two others. For instance, cities with a greater number of churches have a higher crime rate
A type of correlational study in which variables are measured at a single point in time
is an observational research method in which data is gathered for the same subjects repeatedly over a period
a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact
refers to the use of chance procedures in psychology experiments to ensure that each participant has the same opportunity to be assigned to any given group. Study participants are randomly assigned to different groups, such as the experimental group, or treatment group.
a variable (often denoted by x) whose variation does not depend on that of another.
The outcome. Can change depending on independent variable
An actor who participates in a psychological experiment pretending to be a subject but working for the researcher
is the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested?
is defined as the group in an experiment or study that does not receive treatment by the researchers and is then used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do
is the validity of generalized (causal) inferences in scientific research, usually based on experiments as experimental validity? In other words, it is the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people.
refers to how well an experiment is done, especially whether it avoids confounding (more than one possible independent variable [cause] acting at the same time). The less chance for confounding in a study, the higher its internal validity is
is a process where the scientists performing the research influence the results, to portray a certain outcome.
is a subtle cue that makes participants aware of what the experimenter expects to find or how participants are expected to behave. Demand characteristics can change the outcome of an experiment because participants will often alter their behavior to conform to the experimenter’s expectations.
a beneficial effect, produced by a placebo drug or treatment, that cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient's belief in that treatment.
a harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect
A testing procedure, designed to eliminate biased results, in which the identity of those receiving a test treatment is concealed from both administrators and subjects until after the study is completed
The entire group about which the investigator for study