Chapter 3 Flashcards
Participant variables
Personal characteristics and experiences of participants
Researcher variables
Behaviors and characteristics of the researcher
Environmental variables
Aspects of the environment
Measurement variables
Aspects of the stimuli presented or the measurement employed
Critically evaluating a study means?
Questioning whether the scores and relationship actually reflect what we think they do
Extraneous variable
A variable that can influence the results, but that we don’t wish to study
Unsystematically
No consistent pattern
Systematically
Increasing or decreasing in a way that forms a consistent pattern
Flaws that decrease confidence in a study come from where?
Inappropriate operational definitions and systematic and unsystematic extraneous variables
Reliability
Degree to which measurements are consistent and do not contain error
Validity
Extent to which a procedure measures what it is intended to
Content validity
Degree to which measurements actually reflect the variable of interest
Construct validity
Extent to which a measurement reflects the hypothetical construct
Internal validity
Degree to which the mathematical relationship we observe between the scores actually and only reflects the relationship between the variables of interest
Primary threat to internal validity
Confounding variables
Confounding variables
Extraneous variables that systematically change along with the variable of interest
External validity
Degree to which the results accurately generalize to other individuals and other situations
Ecological validity
Extent to which research can be generalized to common behaviors and natural situations
When is ecological validity often lost?
In the quest for internal validity
How to control for extraneous variables
Employ more precise operational definitions; eliminating extraneous variables, keep it consistent for all participants, change the variable to balance the biasing influence
Where are descriptive studies usually conducted?
Outside the lab in the “natural” field; Have high external validity but reduced control and less internal validity
Experimental methods are used to test what?
Causal hypotheses, showing X occurs before Y
Descriptive design can only do what?
Describe the relationship, we don’t know if X causes Y or vice versa
How to increase internal validity?
Greater control
Experiments have what kinds of validity?
High internal but less external
What type of variables are quasi-experiments likely to be confounded by?
Participant variables
What balances participant variables?
Random assignment
Which has higher internal validity, true or quasi variable?
True
Lab experiments have what levels of validity?
Reduced external but high internal
Field research/experiment
Conducted in a natural setting; increase in external validity; lose internal validity
