Chapter 3 Flashcards
Variable
Something that varies (must have 2+ levels/value)
Constant
Could potentially vary but has only one level in a study
Manipulated Variable
Variable that is controlled by assigning study participants to different levels of the variable
Some variables cannot be manipulated
Measured Variable
Levels are observed and recorded
Constructs/Conceptual Variables
Name of the concept being studied
Not tangible, cannot be directly observed
Conceptual Definition
Careful, theoretical definition of the construct
Operational Definition/Operationalization
How the construct is measured or manipulated in a study
Claim
Argument someone is trying to make
Research make claims about theories based on data
Frequency Claim
Describe a particular rate or degree of a single variable
Claim how frequent or common something is
Focus on only one variable (measured variable)
Variable is always measured (not manipulated)
Association Claim
Argues that one level of a variable is likely associated with a particular level of another variable (not causal)
Associated with correlational studies
At least two variables are included
Variables are measured (not manipulated)
Best represented on a scatter plot
Correlate/Covary
Variables that are associated (when one variable changes, the other variable tends to change too)
Positive Association/Correlation
High goes with high or low goes with low
Negative Association/Correlation
High goes with low or low goes with high
Zero Association/Correlation
No link between the variables
Scatterplot Features
Form (linear or nonlinear)
Direction (positive or negative)
Strength (no, weak, strong)
Causal Claim
Argues that one variable is responsible for changing the other variable
Supported by experiments
One variable manipulated (emotion of opponent)
Effect of manipulation on another variable measured (demand level of participant)
Everything else is held constant (same initial offers, same opponent, computer run, same instructions and lab, randomly assigned participants)
Validity
Appropriateness of a conclusion or decision (must be reasonable, accurate, and justifiable)
Construct Validity
How well the variables in a study are measured or manipulated
Extent to which operational variables in a study are a good approximation of the conceptual variables
External Validity
Extent to which the results of a study generalize to some larger population
Statistical Validity
How well the numbers support the claim
How strong the effect is and the precision of the estimates
Internal Validity
In a relationship between one variable and another, the extent to which one variable and not another variable is responsible for changes in the second variable
Covariance
Extent to which two variables are observed to go together
Temporal Precedence
Method was designed so that the causal variable clearly comes first, before effected variable
Internal Validity
Study’s ability to eliminate alternative explanations for the association
Experiment
One variable is manipulated and the other is measured
Gold standard of research
Independent variable: manipulated variable
Dependent variable: measured variable
Ensures temporal precedence and internal validity
Random Assignment
Each participant has equal chance of being in each of the conditions
Three Criteria For Causation
Covariance
Temporal Precedence
Internal Validity
