1.2 Flashcards
Define operational definition.
A description of something in terms of procedures, actions, or processes by which it could be observed and measured.
Why is it important to set operational definitions in an experiment?
It allows for the experiment to be replicated by others. It also shows what each variable in the experiment means and how they will be measured
What is the difference between a sample and a population?
Population is all of the individuals in the group being studied. A sample is a selected group of people from the population which will represent the entire population
Why do researchers usually use samples instead of the entire population?
It can be difficult to get every person in a group to participate in a study and also expensive
How is a random sample different from a stratified sample?
Random sampling is when each individual in a population has an equal chance of participating. Stratified sampling is when the population is divided into different subcategories and a random sample is taken from each subcategory
Explain why many studies want a representative sample.
Representative samples ensure that all of the different people in a population are represented in the study, which often allows the results of the study to apply to the population as a whole.
Explain how a a sampling bias can impact a study.
Sampling bias is when the group representing the population in the survey does not represent the population. This causes the results to be skewed and prevents them from being used with the larger population.
Experiments:
Description
Strength
Weakness:
Description: Observations conducted under controlled conditions to study a relationship between an independent variable and dependent variable.
Strength: Controlled experiments can show cause and effect.
Weakness: Bias in the experiment’s methodology or researchers’ theories could skew results. There is also the third variable problem.
Correlational studies:
Description:
Strength:
Weakness:
Description: Studies that allow researchers to predict the relationship between two variables.
Strength: Shows strength and direction of a relationship.
Weakness: Does not show cause and effect. There is also the third variable problem
Survey Research:
Description:
Strength:
Weakness:
Description: Self-reported data from questions that often ask for an individual’s opinions, thoughts, or information on what they have done
Strength: Cheap, collects lots of data, can study data that is hard to observe, relatively easy to execute.
Weakness: Participants might desire to look good in answers, wording of questions can create leading questions and skew data (wording effect)
Naturalistic Observations:
Description:
Strength:
Weakness:
Description: Research that observes behaviors as they happen in a real world setting, no lab or staged study
Strength: Real world setting can get authentic data.
Weakness: Lack of proper context. If subjects find out about observation they may change their behaviors
Case Study:
Description:
Strength:
Weakness:
Description: Research that analyzes different perspectives of a topic or subject, often provides information in chronological order.
Strength: Can observe rare behaviors.
Weakness: Data can not be used to generalize population, participants may drop out, expensive, hawthorne effect
Longitudinal studies:
Description:
Strength:
Weakness:
Description: Studies that follow one particular group over a long period of time
Strength: Shows changes over a longer period of time.
Weakness: Difficult to have participants stay in for the entire study, expensive, requires a lot of time.
Cross-sectional studies:
Description:
Strength:
Weakness:
Description: Compares different groups at the same time (example studying different ages at the same time)
Strengths: Inexpensive and can be completed in a short amount of time.
Weaknesses: Only provides a snapshot of a group and does not show a complete picture
