Ch. 1- Experimental Designs and Methods Flashcards
what do experimental studies do?
manipulate an independent variable to observe the change in a dependent variable
what axis are independent variables usually displayed on in graphs?
usually the x-axis
in experimental studies, which variable is manipulated?
the independent variable
in experimental studies, which variable changes in response to a change in the other?
the dependent variable
what axis are dependent variables usually displayed on in graphs?
usually the y-axis
what are confounding variables?
things that affect both the independent and dependent variables
what are mediating variables?
things that provide a causal link between two variables
what are moderating variables?
things that change the intensity of a relationship between two other variables
what is the process of making a variable measurable?
operationalization
in experimental studies, what are negative controls?
control groups where they receive no treatment/placebo
in experimental studies, what are positive controls?
control groups where they receive something else that does the thing you’re looking for (that’s not the thing being tested itself)
what is the purpose of randomization and blinding in studies?
to improve validity (making sure as few things are messing with the real outcome as possible)
what happens in randomized controlled trials?
participants are assigned randomly to either a treatment or control group
what do observational studies do?
analyze relationships among variables but DON’T manipulate anything
what do cross-sectional studies do?
sample a population, measure things about that group
what do case-control studies do?
compare individuals with the thing of interest (cases) with unaffected individuals (controls).
what do case studies and case series do?
deal in depth with one or a few individuals in particular
what are longitudinal studies?
studies that follow multiple measures of people over time
what are cohort studies?
studies where people are grouped by some organizational principle (ie. age) and followed over time
what are retrospective studies?
studies that analyze participants’ history (looking backwards in time)
what are systematic reviews and meta-analyses?
it’s combining data from a bunch of studies and doing a critical or quantitative analysis
what are prospective studies?
studies that analyze participants moving forward in time
RIVBIVS
what are the seven ethics standards?
RIVBIVS:
1. respect
2. informed consent
3. valid science
4. benefits outweigh risks
5. independent review
6. value- social and clinical
7. subject selection is fair
what are qualitative methods?
open-ended questions/verbal answers
what are quantitative methods?
getting number variables
what are objective vs. subjective measures
objective = something you can measure with numbers
subjective = something you can’t really measure in numbers
what is validity of a study?
how accurate and meaningful a study’s results are
what is internal validity?
how well you can draw a causal conclusion from the data
what is external validity?
how well the experiment generalizes to real life
what is construct validity?
how well the study assesses what it says it’s supposed to (content, criterion, and predictive validity)
what is the difference between accuracy/validity and precision/reliability?
accuracy/validity = does the measure produce values close to the objectively true value?
precision/reliability = are the results close to each other?
what are the pros and cons of using questionnaires as a survey method?
inexpensive, but vulnerable to self-reporting bias
what is the social desirability bias?
tendency to respond in a way that seems more socially acceptable
what is the acquiescence bias?
tendency to answer “yes” to a question by default
what is representativeness?
the idea that a sample should accurately reflect the population that it was taken from
what is the bottom-up approach to persuasion?
starting with all the evidence and moving to the thesis
what is the top-down approach to persuasion?
starting with a thesis and then include pieces of evidence to support the thesis
