front 1 hindsight bias | back 1 the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (AKA i-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) |
front 2 critical thinking | back 2 thinking that examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions |
front 3 theory | back 3 an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events |
front 4 hypothesis | back 4 a testable predictions, often implied by a theory |
front 5 operational definition | back 5 a statement of the procedures used to define research variables |
front 6 replication | back 6 repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances |
front 7 case study | back 7 an observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles |
front 8 survey | back 8 a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group |
front 9 population | back 9 all the cases in a group being studied |
front 10 random sample | back 10 a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion |
front 11 naturalistic observation | back 11 observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation |
front 12 correlation | back 12 a measure of the extent to which two factors very together |
front 13 correlation coefficient | back 13 a statistical index of the relationship between two things (from -1 to +1) |
front 14 scatterplots | back 14 a graphed cluster of dots, each of which represents the values of two variables |
front 15 illusory correlation | back 15 the perception of a relationship where none exists |
front 16 experiment | back 16 a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect of some behavior or mental process |
front 17 random assignment | back 17 assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing the pre-existing differences between those assigned to the different groups |
front 18 double-blind procedure | back 18 an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo |
front 19 placebo effect | back 19 experimental results caused by expectations alone |
front 20 experimental group | back 20 the group that is exposed to the treatment |
front 21 control group | back 21 the group that is not exposed to the treatment |
front 22 independent variable | back 22 the experimental factor that is manipulated |
front 23 dependent variable | back 23 the variable that may change in response to the manipulation of the independent variable |
front 24 mode | back 24 the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution |
front 25 mean | back 25 the arithmetic average of a distribution |
front 26 median | back 26 the middle score in a distribution |
front 27 range | back 27 the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution |
front 28 standard deviation | back 28 a computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean score |
front 29 normal curve | back 29 a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data |
front 30 statistical significance | back 30 a statistical statement of how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance |
front 31 culture | back 31 the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next |