Chapter 1 Flashcards
Kinesiology
the study of the art and science of human movement, can be studied qualitatively or quantitatively
Quantitative
distance, force, time, joint angles, etc.; considered to be be objective because they are made with mechanical instruments, which require minimal judgement on the part of the investigator and reduce investigator bias to a minimum
Qualitative
(Subjetive); because they require human judgement, and are used to determine the quality of a performance (ex: a gymnastics routine, golf swing, patients level of pain)
Measurement
the process of comparing a value to a standard
Data
the result of measurement
Statistics
a mathematical technique by which data are organized, treated, and presented for interpretation and evaluation.
Evaluation
the philosophical process of determining the worth of the data
Reproducible
the data from the measurement, a second measurement under the same conditions should produce the same result as the first measurement
Reliability
(the consistency of the data); usually determined by the test–retest method, where the first measure is compared with a second or third measure on the same subjects under the same conditions
Validity
refers to the soundness (appropriateness) of the test in measuring what it is designed to measure; can be determined via logical analysis of the measurement procedures, or via comparison to another test already known to be valid
Objectivity
means that the data are collected without bias by the investigator; sometimes referred to as inter-rater reliability
Bias
can be detected by comparing an investigators scores to those of an expert or panel of experts
Measurement involves four steps:
- The object to be measured is identified and defined.
- The standard with which the measured object will be compared is identified and defined.
- The object is compared with the standard.
- A quantitative statement is made of the relationship of the object to the standard.
milli
1/1,000
centi
1/100
deci
1/10
zero
0
deca
10
hecto
100
kilo
1,000
mega
1,000,000
giga
1,000,000,000
Variable
a characteristic of a person, place, or object that can assume more than one value; (a person may perform differently when measured on the same variable more than once)
Constant
a characteristic that can assume only one value (never changes so we only need to measure it once)
Continuous Variable
theoretically can assume any value (distance, force, time, etc.); can be measures as short as a millionth of a cm or as a light-year
Discrete Variable
limited to certain numbers, usually whole numbers or integers (we can’t have a fraction of a person)