Ch 3: 3 Claims, 4 Validities

Question 1

association claim

Answer 1

claim about two variables in which the levels of each vary systematically with one another such that when one variable changes, the other variable tends to change, too

Question 2

causal claim

Answer 2

claim arguing that a specific change in one variable is responsible for influencing the level of another variable

Question 3

claim

Answer 3

the argument an author or scientist is trying to make

Question 4

conceptual definition

Answer 4

a researcher’s definition of a variable at an abstract level (ex: depression is a feeling of sadness etc)

Question 5

constant

Answer 5

something that could potentially vary but that has only one level in the study in question

Question 6

construct validity

Answer 6

a measure of how well a variable was measured or manipulated in a study

Question 7

correlate

Answer 7

(covary) to occur or vary together systematically

Question 8

covariance

Answer 8

one of the three rules for establishing causation, proposed causal variable must vary systematically with changes in proposed outcome variable

Question 9

curvilinear association

Answer 9

an association in which, as one variable increases, the level of the other variable changes its pattern (such as increasing and then decreasing)

Question 10

dependent variable

Answer 10

the variable that is measured in an experiment or the outcome variable

Question 11

experiment

Answer 11

a study in which one variable is manipulated and the other is measured

Question 12

external validity

Answer 12

a measure of how well the results of a study generalize to, or represent, individuals or contexts besides those in the study itself

Question 13

frequency claim

Answer 13

a claim that describes a particular rate or level of a single variable

Question 14

generalizability

Answer 14

the extent to which the subjects in a study represent the populations they are intended to represent; how well the settings in a study represent other settings or contexts

Question 15

independent variable

Answer 15

a variable that is manipulated in an experiment

Question 16

internal validity

Answer 16

the ability to rule out alternative explanations for a causal relationship between two variables

Question 17

manipulated variables

Answer 17

a variable in an experiment that researchers control by assigning participants to its different levels

Question 18

measured variables

Answer 18

a variable in a study whose levels are observed and recorded

Question 19

negative association

Answer 19

an association in which high levels of one variable go with low levels of the other variable (inverse)

Question 20

operational definitions

Answer 20

the specific way in which a concept of interest is measured or manipulated as a variable in a study (ex: score on a depression inventory)

Question 21

positive association

Answer 21

an association in which high levels of one variable go with high levels of the other variable, and low levels of one variable go with low levels of the other variable

Question 22

random assignment

Answer 22

the use of a random method (ex: flipping a coin) to assign participants into different experimental groups

Question 23

scatterplot

Answer 23

a graphical representation of an association, in which each dot represents one participant in the study measured on two variables

Question 24

statistical validity

Answer 24

the extent to which statistical conclusions derived from a study are accurate and reasonable

Question 25

temporal precedence

Answer 25

one of the three rules for establishing causation, stating that the proposed causal variable comes first in time, before the proposed outcome variable

Question 26

level

Answer 26

one of the possible variations, or values, of a variable

Question 27

variable

Answer 27

an attribute that varies, having at least two levels, or values

Question 28

zero association

Answer 28

a lack of systematic association between two variables; no correlation

Question 29

establishing causation

Answer 29

1. covariance (a changes, b changes)
2. temporal precedence (a came before b)
3. internal validity (no other explanation for why a makes b happen)