AP Psychology Notes PDF

Correlation is NOT causation, correlations predict correlation coefficient- a statistical index of the relationship between the two things (from -1 to +1) Positive correlation- a relationship between two variables in which both variables move in the same direction. For one example, as one variable...

Correlation is NOT causation, correlations predict correlation coefficient- a statistical index of the relationship between the two things (from -1 to +1) Positive correlation- a relationship between two variables in which both variables move in the same direction. For one example, as one variable increases, the other also increases, indicating a direct relationship Negative correlation- a relationship between two variables in which the variables move in opposite directions. For example as one variable increases, the other decreases, indicating an inverse relationship Experimental method- a method of research where the researcher manipulates one variable and controls/randomizes the rest of the variables independent variable- the variable that is manipulated or controlled by the researcher dependent variable- the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested Confounding variable- a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable causing a spurious association operational definitions- specifically defining a variable in terms of how it is measured or manipulated in a study Experimental group- the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested control group- the group in an experiment that does not receive the test variable Random assignment- assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing the preexisting differences between those assigned to the different groups Experimenter bias- a process where the scientists performing the research influence the results, in order to portray a certain outcome Single-blind study- a study in which the participants do not know whether they are in the control group or the experimental group but the researchers do Double-blind study- a study in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment Placebo condition- a condition in which treatment is not administered but the subject believes that it is administered Sample- a subset of individuals from a larger population, used to conduct research representative sample- a sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole Random sample- a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion Sample bias- a bias that occurs when a sample is collected in such a way that some members of the intended population are less likely to be included than others Generalizability- the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized or extended to others. Statistics- a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of masses of numerical data descriptive statistics- statistics that summarize the data collected in a study inferential statistics- statistics that allow one to make predictions and inferences about a population based on a sample of data Measure of central tendency- a statistical measure that identifies a single value as representative of entire distribution Mean- the average of a set of numerical values Median- the middle value in a list of numbers Mode- the value that appears most often in a set of data Range- the difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset Normal curve- a bell shaped curve that represents a distribution of values, frequencies, or probabilities so that most measurements are concentrated around the middle (mean) Regression to the mean- the phenomenon that if a variable is extreme on its first measurement, it will tend to be closer to the average on its second measurement Positive skew- this happened when more numbers in a list are on the lower side, but a few really high numbers stretch the average higher Negative skew- this is when more numbers in a list are on the higher side, but a few really low numbers pull the average down standard deviation- a measurement of the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of values Percentile rank- the percentage of scores in its frequency distribution that are equal to or lower than it Bimodal distribution- a distribution that shows two different peaks or modes in the frequency of occurrences Statistical significance- this tells us if the result of an experiment is probably true or just happened by chance. It checks if what found in our experiment would happen often, or is rare when we think nothing special is going on Effect sizes- thus measures how big the impact of something is in an experiment. For example, it tells us how much a medicine really helps compared to not using the medicine at all Meta analysis- a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies Institutional review boards (IRB)- a committee that reviews and approves research involving human subjects, ensuring that ethical standards are met. Informed consent- permission granted with the knowledge of the possible consequences, typically that which is given by a patient to a doctor for treatment with full knowledge of the possible risks and benefits Informed assent- agreement by a minor or other parties not able to give legal consent to participate in the activity Confidentiality- the requirement that private or sensitive information is not disclosed without the consent of the person who provided it. Deception- the act of misleading or wrongly informing someone about the true nature of a situation Confederates- individuals who appear to be participants in a study but are actually part of the research team Debriefing- providing participants in a study with a full explanation of the study after its completion. Including the purpose and any deceptions used.