Research Methods & Psychological Theories Flashcards

Which statistical test is most appropriate for comparing means across three or more independent groups?

Answer: One-way ANOVA

One-way ANOVA is designed to compare means across three or more independent groups while controlling the familywise error rate.

Albert Bandura's social learning theory emphasizes which mechanism as central to acquiring new behaviors?

Answer: Observational learning through modeling

Bandura demonstrated that people learn new behaviors by observing and imitating models, without requiring direct reinforcement.

In a within-subjects experimental design, the primary advantage over a between-subjects design is:

Answer: Each participant serves as their own control, reducing error variance

Within-subjects designs use each participant as their own control, reducing individual difference error variance and increasing statistical power.

Carl Rogers' person-centered therapy emphasizes which three core therapeutic conditions?

Answer: Unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence

Rogers identified unconditional positive regard, accurate empathic understanding, and therapist congruence as the necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change.

A Type II error in hypothesis testing occurs when a researcher:

Answer: Fails to reject a false null hypothesis

A Type II error (false negative) occurs when the null hypothesis is actually false but the researcher fails to reject it.

Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to:

Answer: The gap between what a child can do alone versus with guidance

The ZPD is the difference between a learner's actual developmental level and their potential level when assisted by a more capable guide.

Which sampling method ensures every member of the population has an equal probability of selection?

Answer: Simple random sampling

Simple random sampling gives each population member an equal and independent chance of being selected, minimizing selection bias.