Chalter 4 Flashcards
VAriable
Any factor or attribute that can assume two or more variables
Qualitative variables
Represent properties that differ in type. I.e gender, religious affiliation, eye color, marital status
Quantitative variables
Represent properties that differ in amount for example height, weight, degree of shyness, time spent learning a task, and blood alcohol levels
Discrete variable’s
Between any two adjacent values no intermediate values are possible
Continuous variables
In principle, between any two adjacent scale values, intermediate values are possible
Situational variable
A characteristic that differs across environments or stimuli
Subject variable
A personal characteristic That differs across individuals
Hypothetical construct
Underlying characteristics or processes that are not directly observed but instead are inferred from measurable behaviors or outcomes
Mediator variable
A variable that provides a causal link in the sequence between an independent variable and a dependent variable
Moderator variable
A factor that alters the strength or direction of the relation between an independent and dependent variable
Measurement
The process of systematically assigning values numbers, labels, or other symbols to represent attributes of organisms, objects, or events
Scales of measurement
Refers to rules for assigning scale values to measurement
Nominal scale
The scale values represent only qualitative differences (differences of type rather than amount) of the attribute of entrust
Ordinal scale
The difference scale values represent relative differences in the amount of some attribute
Interval scale
What equal distances between values on the scale reflect equal differences in the amount of the attribute being measured
Ratio scale
When equal distances between values on the scale reflect equal distances in the amount of the attribute being measured and the scale also has a true zero point
Accuracy
Represents the degree to which the measure yield results that agree with a known standard
Accuracy is a component of validity. It refers to the end result of the experiment
Systematic error
A consistent degree of error that occurs with each measurement
Reliability
Reliability of a measure is assessed by examining its consistency
Refers to a type of validity. How reliable is the measure, do you get the same result when you repeat the measure?
Random measurement error
Random fluctuations that occur during measurement and caused the obtains scores to deviate from a true score
Test retest reliability
Determined by administering the same measure to the same participants on two or more occasions, under equivalent test conditions
Split half reliability
The items that compose a test are divided into two subsets, and the correlation between subsets is determined
Inter-observer reliability
Represents the degree to which independent observers show agreement in their observations
It is used as a way to assess the reliability of answers produced by different items on a test. If a test has lower inter-rater reliability, this could be an indication that the items on the test are confusing, unclear, or even unnecessary.
Validity
Can we truthfully infer that a measure actually does what it is claimed to do
