| A | B |
|---|
| sample | small group of subjects that a researcher studies |
| naturalistic observation | when a psychologist observes the subject in a natural setting without manipulation |
| case study | in depth research method that involves an intensive investigation of one or more subjects |
| survey | research method in which information is obtained by asking many individuals a fixed set of questions about their attitudes or behavior |
| longitudinal study | research method in which data is collected about a group over a number of years to assess how certain characteristics change and remain the same during development |
| cross sectional study | research method in which data are collected from groups of participants of different ages and compared so that conclusions can be drawn about differences due to age differences |
| correlation | the measure of a relationship between two variables or sets of data |
| hypothesis | an assumption or prediction about behavior or an educated guess about the relationship between two variables that is tested through scientific research |
| variable | in an experiment, any factor that is measured of controlled and is capable of change |
| experimental group | the group of participants to which an independent variable is applied |
| control group | a group of participants that is treated in the same way as the experimental group except that theexperimental treatment is not applied |
| self fulfilling prophecy | a belief, prediction, or expectation that operates to bring about its own fulfillment |
| single blind experiment | an experiement in which the participants are unaware of which participants received the treatment |
| double blind experiment | an experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know which participants receive which treatment |
| placebo effect | a change in a participant’s illness or behavior that results from a belief that the treatment will have an effect rather than the actual treatment |
| statistics | branch of math that deals with summarizing and making meaningful inferences from collections of data |
| descriptive statistics | the listening and summarizing of data in a practical efficient way such as through graphs and averages |
| frequency distribution | an arrangement of data that indicates how often a particular score or observation occurs |
| normal curve | a graph of frequency distribution shaped like a symmetrical, bell shaped curve, a graph of normal distribution |
| central tendency | a number that describes something about the average score of a distribution |
| variance | a measure of difference or spread |
| standard deviation | – a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean of the scores |
| correlation coefficient | a statistic that describes the direction and strength of the relationship between two sets of variables |
| inferential statistics | numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance |
