Chapter 2: Behavioural Variability and Research

Question 1

Descriptive Statistics

Answer 1

Used to summarize and describe the behaviour of participants in a study.

Question 2

Inferential Statistics

Answer 2

Used to draw conclusions about the reliability and generalizability of one’s findings.

Question 3

Variance

Answer 3

Statistic used to indicate the amount of variability in participants’ responses.

Question 4

Range

Answer 4

The difference between the highest and lowest scores.

Question 5

What is a disadvantage of using range?

Answer 5

Two sets of data could be very different but still have the same range.

Question 6

Total Variance

Answer 6

Systematic Variance + Error Variance

Question 7

Systematic Variance

Answer 7

The portion of the total variability in participants’ scores that is related in an orderly, predictable fashion to the variables the researcher is investigating.

Question 8

Error Variance

Answer 8

The portion of the total variance in participants’ scores that is unrelated to the variables under investigation in the study; variance that remains unaccounted for. The more error variance in the data, the more difficult it is to determine whether the variables of interest are related to variability in behaviour. Researchers try to minimize error variance as much as possible in order to detect the systematic variance in the data.

Question 9

Effect Size

Answer 9

A measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables. It indicates the proportion of the total variance that is systematic variance.

Question 10

Meta-Analysis

Answer 10

A procedure used to examine every study that has been conducted on a particular topic to assess the relationship between whatever variables are the focus of the analysis. By looking at effect sizes across many studies, a general estimate of the strength of the relationship between the variables can be calculated.