Chapter 4 Flashcards
Causal Relationship
One variable directly or indirectly influences another
Correlational Relationship
Changes one variable accompany changed in another, but the proper tests have not been conducted to show that either variable actually causes changes in the other
Correlational Research
Your main interest is to determine whether two (or more) variables covary and, if so, to establish the directions, magnitudes, and forms of the observed relationships
Third-Variable Problem
The possibility that correlational relationships may result from the action of an unobserved “third variable”
Directionality Problem
Even when a direct causal relationship exists, the direction of causality is sometimes difficult to determine
Experimental Research
Has two defining characteristics: manipulation of one or more independent variables and control over extraneous variables
Independent Variable
A variable whose values are chosen and set by the experimenter
Treatments
The specific conditions associated with each level
Dependent Variable
The variable whose value you observe and and measure in experimental designs
Experimental Group
The group receiving treatment
Control Group
The group not receiving treatment
Extraneous Variables
Those that may affect the behavior you wish to investigate but are not of interest for the present experiment
Random Assignment
You assign participants to treatments randomly by means of a table of random numbers or a computer’s random number generator
Demonstration
Exposes a group of subjects to one (and only one) treatment condition
Internal Validity
The ability of your research design to adequately test your hypothesis
