Chapter 1
Empirisme = knowledge comes from experience (eg pictures/timer)
Scientist test theories
- Theory-Data cycle = collect data to test, change, or update theories
- Cupboard theory = mother is source of food
- Contact comfort theory = attached to mother because of her warm fuzzy fur
Theory = set of statements that describe how variables relate to each other
Studied can’t be proved!
Hypothesis = voorspelling, the specific outcome the researcher will observe in a study if the
theory is accurate. Ideally pre-registered
Data = set of observations
Replication = Study conducted again to test whether result is consistent
Weight of the evidence = a conclusion drawn from reviewing scientific literature and
considering the proportion of studies that is consistent with a theory. The collection of
studies, including replications, of the same theory
Falsifiability = characteristic of good theories: a theory should lead to hypotheses that, when
tested, could fail to support the theory
Self-correcting = By being open to falsification an skeptically testing every assumption,
science can discover its own mistaken theories and corrects them
Research for empirical method
- Applied research = with a practical problem in mind and the researchers conduct
their work in a local, real-world context
- Basic research = to enhance the general body of knowledge rather than to address a
specific practical problem
- Translational research = the use of lessons from basic research to develop and test
applications to health care, or other forms of treatment and intervention.
Chapter 2
Comparison group = a group in an experiment whose levels on the independent variable
differ from those of the treatment group in some intended and meaningful ay
Confounds = Potential alternative explanation for a research finding: threat to internal
validity! Occurs when you think one thing caused an outcome but in fact other things
changed too, so confused about what the real cause is
Confederate = an actor playing a specific role for the experimenter
Probabilistic = Results of behavioral research are probabilistic because its findings do not
explain all cases all of the time.
Ways that intuition can be biased
- Being swayed by a good story
- Being persuaded by what comes easily to mind
o = Availability heuristic
, - Failing to think about what we cannot see
o Present/present bias = incorrectly estimate the relationship between an
event and its outcome, focusing on times the event and outcome are present,
while failing to consider evidence that is absent and harder to notice: eg
thinking about someone and suddenly getting a phonecall from him. You
forget about the times you thought about people who didn’t subsequently
call you or the times people called you when you weren’t thinking about them
- Focusing on the evidence we like best
o Confirmation bias = the tendency to only look at information that agrees with
what we want to believe. Only asking the question that will lead to the
expected answer
- Biased about being biased
o Bias blind spot = the belief that we are less biased than others, so when we
notice that our own view of a situation is different from that of somebody
else, we conclude that ‘I am objective and you are the biased one’
Types of articles
- Empirical journal articles = reports for the first time results of a research study
o Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References
- Review journal articles = summarize and integrate all the published studies that have
been done in one research area
o Meta-analysis = quantitative technique which combines the results of many
studies and gives a number that summarizes/averages the magnitude or
effect size, of a relationship.
Paywalled = pay for access to a peer-reviewed article
Open access = free access to a peer-reviewed article
Disinformation = story/photo/video deliberately created to be false or misleading
Chapter 3
Variable = something that varies, at least two levels/values
Level = one of the possible variations/values of variable. Also called condition
Constant = something that could potentially vary but has only one level in the study
Measured variables = levels are observed and recorded (height, IQ)
Manipulated variables = a variable a researcher controls
(Conceptual) construct = variable of interest, abstract
Operational definition/variable = Specific way in which a concept of interest is measured or
manipulated as a variable of the study
To operationalize = to turn it into a measured or manipulated variable
Claims
= argument someone is trying to make
- Frequency claims = describe a particular rate/degree of a single variable. External
validity is priority
Empirisme = knowledge comes from experience (eg pictures/timer)
Scientist test theories
- Theory-Data cycle = collect data to test, change, or update theories
- Cupboard theory = mother is source of food
- Contact comfort theory = attached to mother because of her warm fuzzy fur
Theory = set of statements that describe how variables relate to each other
Studied can’t be proved!
Hypothesis = voorspelling, the specific outcome the researcher will observe in a study if the
theory is accurate. Ideally pre-registered
Data = set of observations
Replication = Study conducted again to test whether result is consistent
Weight of the evidence = a conclusion drawn from reviewing scientific literature and
considering the proportion of studies that is consistent with a theory. The collection of
studies, including replications, of the same theory
Falsifiability = characteristic of good theories: a theory should lead to hypotheses that, when
tested, could fail to support the theory
Self-correcting = By being open to falsification an skeptically testing every assumption,
science can discover its own mistaken theories and corrects them
Research for empirical method
- Applied research = with a practical problem in mind and the researchers conduct
their work in a local, real-world context
- Basic research = to enhance the general body of knowledge rather than to address a
specific practical problem
- Translational research = the use of lessons from basic research to develop and test
applications to health care, or other forms of treatment and intervention.
Chapter 2
Comparison group = a group in an experiment whose levels on the independent variable
differ from those of the treatment group in some intended and meaningful ay
Confounds = Potential alternative explanation for a research finding: threat to internal
validity! Occurs when you think one thing caused an outcome but in fact other things
changed too, so confused about what the real cause is
Confederate = an actor playing a specific role for the experimenter
Probabilistic = Results of behavioral research are probabilistic because its findings do not
explain all cases all of the time.
Ways that intuition can be biased
- Being swayed by a good story
- Being persuaded by what comes easily to mind
o = Availability heuristic
, - Failing to think about what we cannot see
o Present/present bias = incorrectly estimate the relationship between an
event and its outcome, focusing on times the event and outcome are present,
while failing to consider evidence that is absent and harder to notice: eg
thinking about someone and suddenly getting a phonecall from him. You
forget about the times you thought about people who didn’t subsequently
call you or the times people called you when you weren’t thinking about them
- Focusing on the evidence we like best
o Confirmation bias = the tendency to only look at information that agrees with
what we want to believe. Only asking the question that will lead to the
expected answer
- Biased about being biased
o Bias blind spot = the belief that we are less biased than others, so when we
notice that our own view of a situation is different from that of somebody
else, we conclude that ‘I am objective and you are the biased one’
Types of articles
- Empirical journal articles = reports for the first time results of a research study
o Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References
- Review journal articles = summarize and integrate all the published studies that have
been done in one research area
o Meta-analysis = quantitative technique which combines the results of many
studies and gives a number that summarizes/averages the magnitude or
effect size, of a relationship.
Paywalled = pay for access to a peer-reviewed article
Open access = free access to a peer-reviewed article
Disinformation = story/photo/video deliberately created to be false or misleading
Chapter 3
Variable = something that varies, at least two levels/values
Level = one of the possible variations/values of variable. Also called condition
Constant = something that could potentially vary but has only one level in the study
Measured variables = levels are observed and recorded (height, IQ)
Manipulated variables = a variable a researcher controls
(Conceptual) construct = variable of interest, abstract
Operational definition/variable = Specific way in which a concept of interest is measured or
manipulated as a variable of the study
To operationalize = to turn it into a measured or manipulated variable
Claims
= argument someone is trying to make
- Frequency claims = describe a particular rate/degree of a single variable. External
validity is priority
