Ch 1 Flashcards
Primary Sources
Reports from original context /source
Example: An eyewitness describing what they observed
Secondary Sources
Refers to content first reported in another source
Example: Summarizing what an eyewitness says they observed
Claims
Statement argument presented in a factual manner
Example: Which vehicle is the safest?
Intuition
common sense
Deduction
Using logical reasoning & current knowledge as a method of knowing about the world
Authority
Relying on a knowledgeable person/group as a mean of knowing about the world
Example: Parents, religious leaders, teachers, friends, doctors, lawyers, etc.
Observation
Learning by observing the world around us
Population
Group of individual a researcher seeks to learn about from a research study
Sample
Group of individuals chosen from the population to represent it in a research study
Sampling error
Difference between the observation in the population & in the sample that represents that population in a study
( Sample MEAN - Population MEAN = Error )
Representative Samples
Group chosen that represents the population researcher want to learn about
(Can sometimes be bias)
Example: School survey —> Extra Credit = more responses
—> No Extra Credit= no/little response
Validity
Degree to which a survey is an accurate measure of interest
Descriptive statistics
Can be used to describe sample
Tendencies among individuals within the sample
Inferential statistics
Inferential statistics allow us to make inferences about the data collection
(Hypothesis Testing)
Operational Definition
The way a behavior is being defined in a study to allow it to be measured
4 types of scales of measurement
Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio
Nominal scale
Categorical response (non ordinal)
Example: Choose the word that best characterizes your current mood:
• Happy
• Sad
• Indifferent
• Anxious
• Angry
Ordinal scale
Rankings/categories from high to low
Example: Arrange the following movies from least to most enjoyable
• Finding Nemo
• Inside Out
• Wall-E
• Coco
Interval scale
Numerical responses that are equally spaced but scores
Example: I like being a student at Texas A&M – San Antonio:
• 5 – Strongly Disagree
• 4 – Somewhat Disagree • 3 – Neutral
• 2 – Somewhat Agree
• 1 – Strongly Agree
Ratio scale
Numerical responses & scores are ratios of each other
Example: On a scale from 0 to 100 with 100 being absolutely confident, what is the likelihood the Dallas Cowboys make the playoffs this year?
Survey Data
Rely on self-report & self-disclosure. (errors & biases)
Social desirability
Inaccurate data can undermine research process
Over-report positive behaviors; under-report negative behaviors
Construct validity
Degree to which a survey is an accurate measure of interest
Frequency Distribution Table
Hw 1D for example
