PSYC 1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Central Tendency, Operational Definition, Extraversion And Introversion
Document Summary
Operational definition: define how concepts can be measured or observed. Ex: memory defined by number of words recalled correctly in a retention test. To understand how a behavior occurs, scientists manipulate the behavior through experiment. Measures of central tendency provide a value around which scores in a data set tend to cluster. Ex: imagine that the personality traits of openness and extroversion have a strong positive correlation. If thaddeus has a score in openness that is extremely low: He will probably have a low score in extraversion. Parts of an experiment: independent variable, dependent variable, control group, experimental group, confounding variable. Double blind experiment: both experimenter/research and participants don"t know. Single blind: participants don"t know which receives the manipulated variable. Defining memory in terms of the number of comprehension questions answered correctly after reading a short story would: operational definition of memory. Statistically significant: if probability the results of a research study were due to chance is less than 5%
