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Sample
the small group of participants, out of the total number available, that a researcher studies
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naturalistic observation
research method in which the psuchologist observes the subject in a natural setting without interfering
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case study
research method that involves an intensive investigation of one or more participants
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survey
research method in which information is obtained by asking many individuals a fixed set of questions
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longitudinal study
research method in which data are collected about a group of participants over a number of years to assess how certain characteristics change or remain the same during development
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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
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correlation
the measure of a relationship between two variables or sets of data
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hypothesis
an educated guess about the relationship between two variables
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variable
any factor that is capable of change
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experimental group
the group to which an independent variable is applied
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control group
the group that is treated in the same way as the experimental group except that the experimental treatment (the independent variable) is not applied
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self-fulfilling prophecy
a situation in which a researcher's expectations influence that person's own behavior, and thereby influence the participant's behavior
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single-blind experiment
an experiement in which the participants are unaware of which participants received the treatment
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double-blind experiment
an experiment in which neither the experimenter nor the participants received which treatment
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placebo effect
a change in a participant's illness or behavior that results from a belief that the treatment will have an effect rather that from the actual treatment
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statistics
the branch of mathematics concerned with summarizing and making meaningful inferences from collections of data
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descriptive statistics
the listing and summarizing of data in a pratical, efficient way
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frequency distribution
an arrangement of data that indicates how often a particular score or observation occurs
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normal curve
a graph of frequency distribution shaped like a symmetrical, bell-shaped curve; a graph of normally distributed data
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central tendency
a number that describes something about the "average" score of a distribution
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variability
a measure of difference, or spread of data
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standard deviation
a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean
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correlation coefficient
describes the direction and strength of the relationship between two sets of variables
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inferential statistics
numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance
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