Chapter 1 Terns Flashcards
What are continuous variables?
Variables that can take on all possible numbers in a range
Ex: 1.895
Define descriptive statistics?
Descriptive statistics organize, summarize, and communicate large amounts of numerical information.
What is an interval variable?
Variables in which the distances between numerical values are assumed to be equal
What is a dependent variable?
A variable that we hypothesize to be related to, or caused by, changes in the independent variable.
What are ratio variables?
Variables that meet the criteria for interval variables
but also have a meaningful zero point
What is an
operational definition?
It specifies the operations or procedures used to measure or manipulate a variable.
Ex: a clinician’s rating of that person’s anxiety following a diagnostic interview
fWhat is an independent variable?
A variable that we either manipulate or observe to determine its effects on the dependent variable.
Define inferential statistics
Inferential statistics draw conclusions about larger populations based on smaller samples of that population.
What is a nominal variable?
A variable that uses numbers simply to give names to scores
What are discrete variables?
Variables that can take on only certain numbers
Ex: whole numbers, such as 1
What is a population?
All possible observations about which we’d like to know
something.
What is a scale variable?
A term used for both interval and ratio variables, par-
ticularly within statistical computer software programs
What are 4 variables that researchers could use to quantify their observations?
- Nominal Variables
- Ordinal Variables
- Interval Variables
- Ratio Variables
What is an ordinal variable?
Variables that are rank ordered
What is a level?
A discrete value or condition that a variable can take on.
What is a random sample?
A sample in which every person has an equal probability of being chosen to be in the sample.
What is random assignment?
Each individual in the smaple has an equal chance of being in the experimental or control condition.
