Lester M. Sdorow,
Arcadia University
Cheryl A. Rickabaugh,
University of Redlands
| archival research | The systematic examination of collections of letters, manuscripts, tape recordings, video recordings, or other records.
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| case study | An in-depth study of an individual.
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| causation | An effect of one or more variables on another variable.
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| coefficient of correlation | A statistic that assesses the degree of association between two or more variables.
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| confounding variable | A variable whose unwanted effect on the dependent variable might be confused with that of the independent variable.
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| control group | The participants in an experiment who are not exposed to the experimental condition of interest.
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| correlation | The degree of relationship between two or more variables.
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| correlational research | Research that studies the degree of relationship between two or more variables.
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| debriefing | A procedure, after the completion of a research study, that informs participants of the purpose of the study and aims to remove any physical or psychological distress caused by participation.
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| dependent variable | A variable showing the effect of the independent variable.
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| descriptive research | Research that involves the recording of behaviors that have been observed systematically.
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| descriptive statistics | Statistics that summarize research data.
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| determinism | The assumption that every event has physical, potentially measurable, causes.
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| double-blind technique | A procedure that controls experimenter bias and participant bias by preventing experimenters and participants from knowing which participants have been assigned to particular conditions.
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| ethology | The study of animal behavior in the natural environment.
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| experimental group | The participants in an experiment who are exposed to the experimental condition of interest.
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| experimental method | Research that manipulates one or more variables, while controlling other factors, to determine the effects on one or more other variables.
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| experimenter bias effect | The tendency of experimenters to let their expectancies alter the way they treat their participants.
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| external validity | The extent to which the results of a research study can be generalized to other people, animals, or settings.
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| hypothesis | A testable prediction about the relationship between two or more events or characteristics.
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| independent variable | A variable manipulated by the experimenter to determine its effect on another, dependent, variable.
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| inferential statistics | Statistics used to determine whether changes in a dependent variable are caused by an independent variable.
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| internal validity | The extent to which changes in a dependent variable can be attributed to one or more independent variables rather than to a confounding variable.
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| mean | The arithmetic average of a set of scores.
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| measurement | The use of numbers to represent events or characteristics.
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| measure of central tendency | A statistic that represents the “typical” score in a set of scores..
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| measure of variability | A statistic describing the degree of dispersion in a set of scores.
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| median | The middle score in a set of scores that have been ordered from lowest to highest.
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| meta-analysis | A technique that combines the results of many similar studies to determine the effect size of a particular kind of independent variable.
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| mode | The score that occurs most frequently in a set of scores.
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| naturalistic observation | The recording of the behavior of people or animals in their natural environments, with little or no intervention by the researcher.
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| negative correlation | A correlation in which variables tend to change values in opposite directions.
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| norm | A score, based on the test performances of large numbers of participants, that is used as a standard for assessing the performances of test takers.
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| operational definition | The definition of behaviors or qualities in terms of the procedures used to measure or produce them.
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| participant bias | The tendency of people who know they are participants in a study to behave differently than they normally would.
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| placebo | An inactive substance that might induce some of the effects of the drug for which it has been substituted.
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| population | A group of individuals who share certain characteristics.
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| positive correlation | A correlation in which variables tend to change values in the same direction.
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| psychological test | A formal sample of a person’s behavior, whether written or performed.
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| random assignment | The assignment of participants to experimental and control conditions so that each participant is as likely to be assigned to one condition as to another..
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| random sampling | The selection of a sample from a population so that each member of the population has an equal chance of being included.
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| range | A statistic representing the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a set of scores.
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| reliability | The extent to which a test gives consistent results.
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| replication | The repetition of a research study, usually with some alterations in its methods or setting, to determine whether the principles derived from that study hold up under similar circumstances.
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| sample | A group of participants selected from a population.
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| scientific method | A source of knowledge based on the assumption that knowledge comes from the objective, systematic observation and measurement of particular variables and the events they affect.
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| skepticism | An attitude that doubts all claims not supported by solid research evidence.
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| standard deviation | A statistic representing the degree of dispersion of a set of scores around their mean.
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| standardization | 1. A procedure assuring that a test is administered and scored in a consistent manner.
2. A procedure for establishing test norms by giving a test to large samples of people who are representative of those for whom the test is designed.
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| statistical significance | A low probability (usually less than 5 percent) that the results of a research study are due to chance factors rather than to the independent variable.
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| statistics | Mathematical techniques used to summarize research data or to determine whether the data support the researcher’s hypothesis.
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| survey | A set of questions related to a particular topic of interest administered to a sample of people through an interview or questionnaire..
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| theory | An integrated set of statements that summarizes and explains research findings, and from which research hypotheses can be derived.
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| validity | The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.
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| variable | An event, behavior, condition, or characteristic that has two or more values.
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| variance | A measure based on the average deviation of a set of scores from their group mean.
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education