Chapter 1

The "I-knew-it-all-along" phenomenon.

Our tendency to think we know more than we actually know.

Composed of curiosity (passion for exploration), skepticism (doubting and questioning) and humility (ability to accept responsibility when wrong).

People who do not accept arguments and conclusions blindly.

A self-correcting process for asking questions and observing nature's answers.

An explanation that integrates principles, organizes observations, and implies clear predictions (or hypotheses) of behavior or events.

A testable prediction, often prompted by a theory, which enables us to accept, reject or revise the theory.

A statement of the procedures (operations) used to carefully define research variables so that anyone can replicate the study.

A technique in which one person (or organism) is studied in depth to reveal underlying behavioral principles.

A technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people.

When each member of a population has an equal chance of inclusion into a sample.

Involves observing and recording behavior of people/animals in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation.

When one variable, trait, or behavior accompanies another, we say the two correlate.

The perception of a relationship where no relationship actually exists.

The backbone of psychology research, enable researchers to isolate causes and their effects, and thus to begin to explain behavior.

A factor manipulated by the experimenter.

A factor that may change in response to an independent variable.

Involves the same process as random sampling but it involves assigning people by chance to the experimental condition/group and the control condition/group.

Participants are uninformed of what treatment, if any, they are receiving.

Both research participants and staff are ignorant about whether participants have received the treatment or placebo.

When experimental results are caused by expectations alone.

Statistical procedures analyze and interpret data, allowing us to see what the unaided eye misses.

A computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean.

A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many types of data.

THe tendency for extremes of unusual scores or events to regress toward the average.