PSYC 1000 Study Guide - Demand Characteristics, Confounding, External Validity

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1000
• Professor: Anne Bergen

Document Summary

Hindsight understanding: hindsight (after the fact) reasoning, taking information from past experiences, problem is that past events can be contradictory. If we predict then we can control: theory development is t he strongest test of scientific understanding beause good theories generate an integrated network of predictions. Defining and measuring variables: a variable is any characteristic that can differ. Example gender, race, age, school grades, typing speed an operational definition - defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce of measure it. In essence, operations definitions translate an abstract term into something observable and measureable: to define a concept operationally we must be able to measure it. Physiological measures: ways to finding out information by looking inside a person. Scientists measure physiological functioning: behavioural observations: observe peoples visible behaviour in either real-life or laboratory setting, but some people behave differently when they know they are being watched.