chapter 1 research methods Flashcards
independent variable
The variable that is manipulated or varied by the experimenter. When applied in research, this variable is said to cause the results.
dependent variable
The variable which is being observed or measured in the experimental situation to see the effect of the independent variable.
operational variable
States how the variables will be observed, manipulated and measured.
extraneous variable
Any variable other than the IV that may affect the DV. They make it difficult to be sure that the IV was the reason for any change in the DV
confounding variable
an extraneous variable that we know has definitely affected the DV
true value
The value (or range of values) that would be found if the quantity could be measured perfectly.
precision
How close a set of measurements are to each other (not necessarily to the true value)
accuracy
The closeness of a measurement to the true value
repeatability
When a test is carried out under the same conditions (i.e. repeated) and the results match.
reproducibility
When a test produces similar results under changed or different conditions (i.e. if you repeat the test at another time or another researcher replicates the test, results would be consistent).
internal validity
When the test carried out measures what it intends to measure.
external validity
When the results of a study can be applied to similar individuals in a different setting.
order effects, boredom effect
doing a task a second time and performing worse than the first time due to test fatigue or boredom
order effects, practice effect
doing a task a second time and performing better than the first time simply because you have done it before
placebo effect
when a person’s physical or mental health appears to improve after taking a fake treatment
