L7 BASICS EXPE

• next step after formulating hypothesis

  design procedure to test it
• much of the research done in psychology

  experimental
• main features of psychology experiment

  manipulate antecedent conditions to create at least 2 different treatment conditions

  2 treatments are required

  record the responses of subjects under various conditions

  assess whether our predictions are confirmed
• justified only when a carefully controlled test of our predictions has been made

  causal inference
• measurable elements that can vary or take on different values along some dimension

  variables
• the one we manipulate; we have direct control

  independent variables
• antecedent the experimenter chooses to vary

  independent variable
• values are created by the experimenter and not affected by anything else that happens in the experiment

  independent variable
• creating different treatment conditions within the experiment

  levels of the IV
• researcher can explore the way behavior changes as a function of changes in variables outside the researcher's control

  ex post facto study
• ___ variables are often independent in the sense that the researcher selects the particular values that will be included in the study

  quasi-experimental
• researchers often behave as if they were doing true experiments

  ex post facto and quasi-experimental studies
• the researcher selects rather than creates the levels of the IV by assigning subjects to treatment groups on the basis of a subject variable

  quasi-experiments
• individuals in various treatment groups are supposed to differ on a subject variable because the subject variable is the one we are testing

  ex post facto study
• we test the effects of a manipulated independent variable, not the effects of different kinds of subjects

  true experiment
• to guard against___, we randomly assign subjects to receive different treatments

  systematic differences
• particular behavior we expect to changes because of our experimental treatments, outcome we are trying to explain

  dependent variable
• dependent variables are sometimes called

  dependent measures
• other terms for IV

  treatments

  manipulations

  interventions

  conditions
• other terms for DV

  measures

  effects

  outcomes

  results
• if people were anxious, then they will want to affiliate

  schachter
• large pupils make people more attractive

  hess
• specifies the precise meaning of a variable within an experiment

  operational definitions
• defines a variable in terms of observable operations, procedures and measurements

  operational definitions
• statements of operating procedures, sets of instructions that tell others how to carry out an experiment

  operational definitions
• explain the precise meaning of the IV, describe exactly what done to create the various treatment conditions of the experiment

  experimental operational definitions
• includes all steps that were followed to set up each value of the IV

  experimental operational definitions
• defines dependent variables

  measured operational definition
• describe exactly what procedures we follow to assess the impact of different treatment conditions

  measured operational definition
• concepts which are unseen processes postulated to explain behavior

  hypothetical constructs
• we need a ___ when a construct variable like anxiety is a DV

  measured operational definition
• equally important when we are working with variables that can be observed more directly

  operational definitions
• kind of scale used to measure a variable

  level of measurement
• consistency and dependability

  reliability
• procedures for checking the reliability of measurement techniques

  interrater reliability

  test-retest reliability

  interitem reliability
• agreement between the measurements

  interrater reliability
• used in a content analysis when raters must score the qualitative content of subjects' responses

  interrater reliability
• comparing scores of people who have been measured twice with the same instrument, they take the test once, then they take it again


  test-retest reliability
• extent to which different parts of a questionnaire, test or other instruments designed to assess the same variable attain consistent results

  interitem reliability
• 2 major approaches to evaluate interitem reliability

  split-half reliability

  cronbach