Understanding Correlational Research Methods Study Guide

Knowledge Generation and Mobilization in Psychology

A structured process for understanding the causes of mental processes and behaviour using a scientific approach to generate knowledge in psychology.

• Measured variables
• Manipulated variables
• Operationalization
• Objective measurement
• Reliability
• Test re-test reliability
• Internal consistency
• Validity
• Construct validity
• Convergent validity
• Discriminant validity
• Descriptive methods
• Correlational methods
• Experimental methods
• Case study
• Naturalistic observation

• Introduction to Psychological Research Methods

  Read · 5 min

• Import & open

  Flashcards

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Quiz

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Practice test

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Listen

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Tutor Me

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Watch

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Chat

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Arcade

  Import to get started

Correlational Methods and Survey Research

Correlational research methods observe the association between two variables using self-report measures and correlation coefficients.

• Survey
• Self-report
• Correlational methods
• Association between variables
• Correlation coefficient
• Positive direction
• Negative direction
• Strength of correlation
• Correlation is not causation

• Correlational Methods and Survey Research in Psychology

  Read · 4 min

• Import & open

  Flashcards

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Quiz

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Practice test

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Listen

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Tutor Me

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Watch

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Chat

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Arcade

  Import to get started

Experimental Research Designs and Causation

An experimenter manipulates an independent variable to determine its effect on a dependent variable while using strategies to control for external factors.

• Experimental research designs
• Causation
• Independent Variable (IV)
• Dependent Variable (DV)
• Experimental group
• Control group
• Randomization
• Random assignment
• Confounding variables
• Standardizing procedures

Experimental Design and Statistical Inference

An experiment example examines how an independent variable affects dependent variables through statistical inference and effect size.

• experiment
• hypothesis
• independent variable
• control
• dependent variables
• statistical inference
• null hypothesis significance testing
• statistically significant
• effect size

Quantification of Experiences in Psychology

Quantification in psychology involves turning experiences, such as thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, into numbers using checklists or self-report rating scales.

• quantification
• behaviour checklist
• self-report rating scales
• personality traits
• agreeableness
• conscientiousness
• mean difference finding
• correlational findings

Psychology Careers and Educational Pathways

Overview of professional roles including Registered Clinical Psychologist, University Professor, and Behavioural scientists along with required academic qualifications.

• Registered Clinical Psychologist
• University Professor
• Behavioural scientists
• Research consultant
• Honours BA
• Master’s
• PhD
• Clinical internships
• Postdoctoral fellowships

Knowledge Generation and Mobilization in Psychology

This lecture discusses characteristics of quality research in psychology including the scientific method, generalizability, and sampling methods.

• scientific method
• generalizability
• research biases
• replication
• ethical research
• objective measurements
• validity
• reliability
• population
• sample
• random sample
• representative sample
• demographics

Research Biases, Replication, and Knowledge Mobilization

This document discusses common research biases, the importance of replication, and methods for knowledge mobilization and peer review.

• Experimenter bias
• Double-blind procedure
• Placebo effect
• Unobtrusive measure
• Anonymity
• Confidentiality
• p-hacking
• HARKing
• Multiple Testing
• Selective Reporting
• Pre-registration
• Open data
• Replication
• Meta-analyses
• Publication bias
• File drawer problem
• Knowledge mobilization
• Peer-reviewed article
• Primary source
• Secondary source

Principles of Ethical and Quality Research

Ethical research requires clear benefits to society, informed consent, and oversight by a Research Ethics Board to manage risks to participants.

• ethical research principles
• informed consent
• Tri-Council Policy
• Research Ethics Board
• minimal risk
• scientific method
• objective, valid and reliable measurements
• addressing biases
• replication
• random sampling

Alcohol Consumption and Its Effects

Information regarding how the liver processes ethanol, the effects of alcohol on study retention, and perceptions of drinking habits among students.

• liver metabolism
• alcohol effects on study retention
• standard drinks
• alcohol consumption perceptions
• health and cancer risks

Psychology Overview and Learning Strategies

An overview of psychology including the research process and effective systems for textbook reading and note-taking.

• psychology
• research process
• basic research
• applied research
• scientific approach
• note-taking
• textbook reading
• testing effect

Biological Bases of Behaviour

An introduction to the biological bases of behaviour focusing on the nervous system, neurons, and the endocrine system.

• neurons
• dendrites
• cell body
• terminal button
• central nervous system
• peripheral nervous system
• somatic nervous system
• autonomic nervous system
• sympathetic nervous system
• parasympathetic nervous system
• endocrine system
• hormones
• neural communication

Biological Bases of Brain Structures

This material explores older brain structures, the limbic system, and the prefrontal cortex including their associated functions and roles in memory and emotion.

• Brain stem
• Medulla
• Pons
• Reticular formation
• Limbic system
• Hippocampus
• Hypothalamus
• Anterograde amnesia
• Retrograde amnesia
• Executive function

• Biological Bases of Brain Structures and Functions

  Read · 4 min

• Import & open

  Flashcards

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Quiz

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Practice test

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Listen

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Tutor Me

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Watch

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Chat

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Arcade

  Import to get started

Biological Bases of Behaviour and Neurons

An introduction to how neurons work, the role of neurotransmitters, and the biological processes of neurogenesis and neuropharmacology.

• Dendrites
• Cell body
• Terminal button
• Resting potential
• Action potential
• Depolarization
• Refractory period
• All or nothing law
• Synapse
• Neurotransmitters
• Receptor sites
• Reuptake
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
• Synaptic pruning
• Neurogenesis
• Stem cells
• Acetylcholine
• Dopamine
• Norepinephrine
• Serotonin

Sleep Stages and Dreaming Processes

Sleep comprises different states associated with different brain waves measured with an electroencephalogram (EEG).

• Sleep stages
• Brain waves
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Beta waves
• Alpha waves
• Delta waves
• Slow-wave sleep
• Rapid eye movement (REM)
• REM rebound
• Memory consolidation
• Growth hormones
• Activation-synthesis theory
• Sleep deprivation
• Sleep hygiene

Substance Use, Attention and Consciousness

Psychoactive substances alter the state of consciousness, perception, mood, and the regulation of behaviour by acting on brain neurotransmitters and receptors.

• psychoactive substances
• stimulants
• hallucinogens
• depressants
• physical dependence
• psychological dependence
• addiction
• tolerance
• neurotransmitters

Overview of Psychology as Science

An introduction to understanding the causes of mental processes and behaviour by using a scientific approach.

• psychology as a science
• mental processes
• behaviour
• introspection
• structuralism
• functionalism
• behaviourism
• cognitivism
• humanistic approaches
• causality

Cognitive Biases and Critical Thinking

Psychology uses the scientific method and critical thinking to guard against cognitive biases when examining the multiple causal factors of mental processes and behaviour.

• Cognitive biases
• Confirmatory bias
• Overconfidence
• Biological, psychological and social factors
• Scientific method
• Theory
• Research
• Data
• Assessment of data
• Critical thinking
• Causality
• Quantification

Psychology and WEIRD Research Challenges

Psychology faces challenges due to historically limited diversity among researchers and participants who are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich & Democratic.

• WEIRD research samples
• Cultural differences in perception
• Independent self-concept
• Interdependent self-concept
• Analytic reasoning
• Self-enhancement motivation

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

• maturation
• cognitive development
• social development
• synaptic pruning
• myelination
• nature vs nurture
• cognition
• schema
• assimilation
• accommodation
• sensorimotor stage
• object permanence
• stranger anxiety
• preoperational stage
• egocentrism
• theory of mind
• concrete operational stage
• conservation
• formal operational stage
• abstract reasoning

Infant Social Development and Attachment Styles

Socialization and attachment processes involve the relationship between children and caregivers, influenced by temperament and parenting styles.

• Socialization
• Attachment
• Strange situations test
• Secure attachment
• Insecure attachment
• Anxious style
• Avoidant style
• Disorganized attachment
• Temperament
• Authoritarian parenting
• Permissive parenting
• Authoritative parenting
• Nature and nurture
• Biopsychosocial approach

Adolescent Maturation and Developmental Changes

This topic explores maturation during adolescence, including puberty, neurological development, and cognitive development changes.

• risky play
• cohorts
• puberty
• sexual maturation
• primary and secondary sex characteristics
• neurological development
• synaptic pruning
• frontal lobes
• limbic system
• delay gratification
• cognitive development
• social representation
• intellectual abilities

Intellectual, Moral, and Social Development

• Piaget’s theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development
• Preconventional morality
• Conventional morality
• Postconventional morality
• Identity vs. role confusion
• Trust vs. mistrust
• Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
• Initiative vs. guilt
• Competency vs. inferiority
• Intimacy vs. isolation
• Generativity vs. stagnation
• Integrity vs. despair

Physical and Cognitive Changes in Aging

Physical changes and changes in cognitive abilities are part of the normal aging process involving biological, functional, psychological, and social age.

• Biological age
• Functional age
• Psychological age
• Social age
• Crystallized intelligence
• Fluid intelligence
• Perceptual speed
• Major depression
• Isolation and loneliness

Sensation, Perception and Consciousness

An introduction to the differences between sensation and perception, including how we detect, organize, and interpret stimuli.

• Sensation
• Perception
• Bottom-up processing
• Top-down processing
• Reception
• Transduction
• Transmission
• Absolute threshold
• Subliminal
• Difference threshold
• Just Noticeable Difference
• Signal detection theory

Gestalt Psychology and Perceptual Organization

Gestalt psychology explains how the brain organizes sensory input into meaningful wholes, focusing on principles like proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, symmetry, common fate, and figure-ground perception.

• Gestalt psychology
• Law of Pragnanz
• Proximity
• Similarity
• Continuity
• Closure
• Symmetry
• Common fate
• Figure-ground

• Gestalt Psychology and Perceptual Organization

  Read · 4 min

• Import & open

  Flashcards

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Quiz

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Practice test

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Listen

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Tutor Me

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Watch

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Chat

  Import to get started

• Import & open

  Arcade

  Import to get started

Sensation Perception and Consciousness

How we go from energy waves to perception through the human eye, photoreceptors, and neural signals.

• Electromagnetic radiation
• Amplitude and brightness
• Transduction
• Photoreceptors
• Cones and rods
• Ganglion cells
• Object recognition
• Opponent-process theory
• Monocular cues
• Linear perspective
• Relative size
• Texture gradient
• Interposition
• Height in plane
• Binocular disparity
• Binocular convergence

Sensation, Perception and Consciousness

An exploration of how consciousness and attention shape perception through processes like parallel processing, bottom-up and top-down processing, and selective attention.

• Perception
• Consciousness
• Attention
• Parallel processing
• Bottom-up processes
• Top-down processes
• Stream of consciousness
• Broadbent’s filter theory of attention
• Selective attention
• Inattentional blindness
• Naive realism

Consciousness, Attention, and Perceptual Processing

Conscious high track and unconscious low track processes interact through iterative reprocessing to shape perception and influence how expectations and context effects guide sensory input.

• Conscious high track
• Unconscious low track
• Binding problem
• Iterative reprocessing model
• Top-down processing
• Bottom-up processing
• Absolute threshold
• Conflict detection
• Expectations
• Context effects

Perceptual Set and Perceptual Constancy

Expectations influence what we see through top-down processing and perceptual set, while perceptual constancy allows for constant shape, size, and colour.

• Perceptual set
• Top-down processing
• Perceptual constancy
• Shape constancy
• Size constancy
• Colour constancy
• Learned socio-cultural expectations

Grammar as Context for Perception

An exploration of grammar as context for perception.

• Grammar as context for perception

Sensation Perception and Consciousness

This lecture explores consciousness as a person's awareness of internal and external stimuli including perceptions, subjective experiences, self-awareness, and intentionality.

• consciousness
• awareness of internal and external stimuli
• perceptions
• subjective experiences
• self-awareness
• intentionality
• automatic variations
• daydreaming
• drowsiness
• sleep
• dreams
• physiological variations
• hallucinations
• lack of oxygen
• psychological variations
• sensory deprivation
• hypnosis
• mindfulness meditation
• substance use