4 Fundamental Research Issues Flashcards
Operational Definition
Set of procedures used to measure or manipulate a variable
Variable
Any event, situation, or individual characteristic that varies, has at least two values.
Construct Validity
The adequacy once a variable is operationally defined
Positive Linear Relationship
Increases in the values of one variable are accompanied by increases in the values of the second variable
Diagonal line to the right
Negative Linear Relationship
Increases on the values of one variable are accompanied by decrease in the values of the other variable
Diagonal line to the left
Curvilinear Relationship
Increases in the values of one variable are accompanied by systematic increases and decreases in the values of the other variable
Inverted u relationship
Non-monotonic function
No Relationship
No relationship between the two variables a flat line
Correlation Coefficient
An index of how strongly two variables are related to each other
Non-experimental Method
Relationships are studied by making observations or measures of the variables of interest
Experimental Method
Direct manipulation and control of variables
Third-variable Problem
Any variable that is extraneous to the two variables being studied
Confounding Variable
A variable that is not controlled in a research investigation, both variables are intertwined so you cannot determine which of the variables is operating in a given situation
Experimental Control
Keeping the variable constant to eliminate the influence of an extraneous variable on the outcome of the experiment
Randomization
Ensures that the extraneous variable is just as likely to affect one experimental group as it is to affect the other group
Independent Variable
Variable considered to be the cause
