Chapter 2: Asking and Answering Research Questions

Question 1

scientific theory

Answer 1

a statement that satisfies three requirements: it is about constructs; it describes causal relations; and it is general in scope, although the range of generality differs for different theories

Question 2

constructs

Answer 2

abstract and general concepts that are used in theories and are not directly observable

Question 3

interventions

Answer 3

practical steps taken to change people´s behaviour or to solve social problems

Question 4

construct validity

Answer 4

the extent to which the independent and dependent variables used in research corresponds to the theoretical constructs under investigation

Question 5

independent variable

Answer 5

a concrete manipulation or measurement of a construct that is thought to cause the other

Question 6

dependent variable

Answer 6

a concrete measurement of a construct that is thought to be an effect of other constructs

Question 7

social desirability response bias

Answer 7

people´s tendency to act in ways that they believe others find acceptable and approve of

Question 8

internal validity

Answer 8

the extent to which it can be concluded that changes in the independent variable actually caused changes in the dependent variable in a research study

Question 9

external validity

Answer 9

the extent to which the research results can be generalised to other appropriate people, times and settings

Question 10

individualist cultures

Answer 10

those in which people are particularly likely to think of themselves as separate from other people and to define themselves in terms of their uniqueness

Question 11

collectivist cultures

Answer 11

those in which people tend to think of themselves as linked to others, and to define themselves in terms of their relationship to others