Chapter 3 Flashcards
Variable
Anything that differs from person to person or situation to situation
Constant
Value in study that stays the same for everyone
Measured variable
observed and recorded. Not manipulated
Manipulated variable
Variable controlled/changed
Independent variable
manipulated variable
Dependent variable
measured variable
Construct
The name of the concept being studied “big picture idea”; abstract
e.g., intelligence
What is a conceptual definition?
A precise definition of the construct
e.g., the ability to learn, reason, & solve
What is an operational definition?
How the construct is measured or manipulated within a specific study
e.g., IQ Test
3 types of research claims
Frequency
Association
Casual
What is a frequency claim?
How often does Y happen?
What is an association claim?
Does knowing something about X give us a guess (prediction) about Y? (Correlational Research)
What is a casual claim?
Does X cause Y? (Experiment or causal inference)
Phrases that suggest an association claim:
- “is linked to”
- “is associated with”
- “covaries with”
- “goes with”
- “predicts”
- “is tied to”
What is a positive association?
As one variable goes up, the other variable also tends to go up.
What is a negative association?
As one variable goes up, the other variable tends to go down
What is a zero association?
Knowing about one variable tells us nothing about the other (there is no relationship)
What is correlational research?
A study in which all variables are measured (NOT manipulated)
Phrases that suggest a causal claim:
- “affects”
- “increases”
- “causes”
- “reduces”
- “changes”
- “may predict/lead to”
- “exacerbates”
What is a casual claim?
A claim that one variable causes another
3 things you need to make a casual claim:
- Association
- Temporal Precedence
- Control of confounds
The goal of experimental research:
to determine if changes in an independent variable (IV) cause changes in a dependent variable
What is validity:
The extent to which research claims are justified
External validity
“Do the results generalize?”
- the extent to which results of a study can be applied to other populations, situations, etc.
Internal validity
“Is a causal conclusion justified”
- the extent to which a relationship between variables is the result of only those variables (could something else have caused the relationship observed.)
Statistical validity
The extent to which claims are justified given the statistical analysis
- “How likely is the decision made (statistically) correct?”
4 criteria for causal claim:
- Association
- Temporal precedence
- Control of confounds
What does temporal precedence mean?
Participants must experience manipulated variable (IV) before the outcome variable (DV) is measured
