hindsight bias
The tendency to believe after learning an outcome that one would have foreseen it
EXAMPLE: Survey was taken at a Dodgers game! The dodgers were versing the Angels! At the start of the game most voted the Angels would win! After the game, after finding the
critical thinking
Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather it examines assumptions discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and asses conclusions!
Example: Critical thinkers ask questions. When they hear news they ask How do they know that
theory
An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
Example:Low self esteem feeds depression!
hypotheses
a testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Example: People with low self esteem score higher on a depression scale.
operational definitions
A statement of the procedures used to define research variables.
Example: Human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures
replication
Repeating the essence of a research study usually with different people in different situations, to see whether the basic findings extends to other participants and circumstances
Example: Studiers take the same experiment that had already been done! If re
case study
An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles
Example: Jean Piaget taught us about children's thinking after carefully observing and questioning but a few children.
survey
A technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of them.
Example: A list of questions given to customers at a fast food restaurant. It asks about their food, service,
false consensus effect
The tendency to over estimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.
Example: Vegetarians believe more people are also vegetarian, while meat-eaters believe there are less vegetarians.
population
All the cases in a group from which samples may be drawn for a study
Example: Customers at Carls Jr are part of the population for the survey but people at McDonalds are not part of this same population.
random sample
A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.
Example: You would not send every student a questionnaire, but rather aim for a representative sample by using a table of random numbers to pick participant
naturalistic observation
Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situations
Example:Gilda Morelli has lived among and observed the Efe people of Central Africa for more than 20 years, studying paternal and ma
correlation
a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
Example:One behavior trait accompanies another, the two corralate!
scatterplot
A graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables. The slope of the points suggests the direction of the relationship between the 2 variables.The amount of scatter suggests the strength of correlation(little scatter indicates
illusory correlation
The perception of a relationship where none exists
Example: More babies are born when the moon is full!
experiment
A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors(independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process(the dependent variable). By random assignment participants, the experimenter aims to control other r
double-blind procedure
An experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant(blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug evaluation studies.
Example: An experiment
Placebo
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent.
Example: It is fake treatment. The treatment is false but since the patient
experimental condition
The conditions of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable
Example: The people who were randomly chosen to receive the real treatment.
control condition
the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment
Example: The people who were randomly chosen to receive the placebo.
random assignment
Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between those assigned to different groups
Example: Take one group of people and cluster them. Now randomly walk down the middle of them! One
Independent Variable
The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied
Example: In the experimental group of children being tested to see if there is a correlation between infant nutrition and intelligence, the breast milk is the independ
Dependent Variable
the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulation of the independent variable
Example: In the control group of the breast feeding experiment, formula is the dependent variable.
mode
The most frequent ocuring score in a distribution
Example: 15,20,20,15,20,3,20
In this set 20 is the mode!
mean
the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores
Example: 2+3+4+5+6=20
Now there is 5 numbers so divide by 5
The mean is 4!!!!
median
The middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it
Example: 5,6,7,8,9
7 is the median since it is in the middle. It is not the largest and its not the smallest
range
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
Example: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
10-1=9
9 is the range
standard deviation
A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score
Example: square root of sum of deviations divided by number of scores
statistical significance
A statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance
Example: The sample averages are reliable and the differences between them are relatively large
culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.