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Psychology Statistics > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Define statistics.

A

A set of mathematical procedures for organizing, summarizing, and interpreting information.

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2
Q

What is methodology in regards to statistics?

A

Procedures and rules for reducing large masses of data to manageable portions.

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3
Q

What is a numerical value in regards to statistics?

A

The result of arithmetic or algebraic manipulation applied to data.

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4
Q

Define variable.

A

Any characteristic that can differ in some way.

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5
Q

Can variables be quantifiable (numeric) and/or categorical? Briefly explain your reasoning.

A

Yes, because data is received and organized wither numerically (quantifiable) and/or categorical.

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6
Q

Define data set.

A

The collection of measurements or observations.

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7
Q

Define operationalize.

A

A process of defining a concept or variable in measurable terms. I.e., if you want to measure happiness, you could use a Likert scale.

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8
Q

Define population.

A

A collection of subjects or events that share a common characteristic.

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9
Q

Define sample.

A

A portion of a population.

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10
Q

What are the 2 branches of statistics?

A

Descriptive and inferential statistics.

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11
Q

Define descriptive statistics.

A

Organize, summarize, and communicate numerical information about a sample.

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12
Q

Define inferential statistics.

A

Use samples to draw conclusions of a population.

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13
Q

Sample average… why?

A

Sample average DOES NOT = population average. Because a sample is only a subset of the larger population, meaning it can’t perfectly capture all the characteristics of the entire group, leading to potential discrepancies between the sample mean and the true population mean.

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14
Q

Define sampling error.

A

An error that occurs when an analyst does not select a sample that represents the entire population of data.

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15
Q

What is “margin of error” also known as? Provide the definition.

A

Confidence interval. Statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in the results of a survey - a range of uncertainty or variability around an estimate or measurement.

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16
Q

What are the 2 ways to interpret results?

A
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17
Q

What are the 2 types of quasi-experimental methods?

A

Non-equivalent and pre-post study methods.

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18
Q

Define quasi-experimental method.

A

A method that aims to show the cause-and-affect relationship and does not use randomization.

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19
Q

Define non-equivalent groups.

A
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20
Q

Define construct variable.

A

An abstract concept or theoretical idea that cannot be directly measured, but is inferred through observable behaviors or responses. Examples are: intelligence, anxiety, or self-esteem; essentially, it’s a broad psychological concept that needs to be operationalized into measurable variables to be studied in research.

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21
Q

Define discret variables.

A

Can assume only a finite number of real values within a given interval.

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22
Q

Define continuous variables.

A

A variable that can take on an infinite number of possible values within a given range, meaning it can be measured on a scale with decimal points and not just whole numbers. The “in btw numbers” i.e., 2.4

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23
Q

Briefly explain lower/upper limit numbers.

A
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24
Q

Define nominal variables.

A

Variables that have no order or ranking. They simply label different groups I.e., Colors, types of animals and marital status.

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25
Q

Define ordinal variables.

A

Variables that have specific order or ranking.

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26
Q

Define ratio variables.

A

A numerical value that have a true zero point and allow for meaningful comparisons. I.e., weight, height, age, temperature

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27
Q

Define scale variables.

A

Numerical variables that can take on any value within a given range. I.e., temperature

28
Q

Define interval variables.

A

Numerical variables that have meaning intervals between them but do not have a true zero point. I.e., temperature, dates

29
Q

What are the goals of psychological science?

A
  • to describe behaviour
  • to predict behaviour
  • to determine the cause of behaviour
30
Q

What is the correlational method?

A

Is a method used to measure and describe the strength and direction of a relationship between 2 variables.

31
Q

What is the experimental method?

A

The experimental method is a research method used to determine the cause-and-affect relationship between 2 variables.

32
Q

What is random assignment?

A

A technique used to allocate participants to groups in a random manner.

33
Q

Define a between groups design.

A

Also known as an independent group study where different participants are assigned to different groups each receiving a different level of the independent variable. This allows researchers to compare the effects of the independent variable across separate groups.

34
Q

What are different levels of independent variables?

A

These refer to the different levels in which the various conditions or categories are manipulated or controlled in an experiment. These levels are essential for examining how changes in the independent variable affect the dependent variable. I.e., a 2-level independent study is when their are one treatment and one control group

35
Q

What is a within-groups study?

A

A type of experimental design where the same participants are exposed to all conditions of the experiment.

36
Q

What is a non-equivalent group study method?

A

It is a research method used when random assignment is not possible. I.e., ethical reasons. Because of this, researchers compare two or more groups that have not been randomly assigned.

37
Q

Define a pre-test study.

A

A research design that involves measuring participants responses or performance before an intervention or treatment is applied. I.e., assessing a reading program for student - difficulties reading

38
Q

Define a frequency table distribution.

A

A table that shows how often items or categories appear in a dataset.

39
Q

What is the formula to find probability?

A

p=f/n, where “f” is frequency and “n” is total number of trials.

40
Q

What units are probability in?

A

Decimals.

41
Q

Find the probability in a data set table.

A
42
Q

What is a positively skewed distribution?

A

A data graph where most of the data is on the left side with the tail going down towards the right.
Positively skewed means that mean>median>mode

43
Q

What is a negatively skewed distribution?

A

A data graph where the peak (data) is clustered on the left side of the graph, with the tail being on the left.
The mean<median<mode

44
Q

Make a stem and leaf table.

A

Make sure to put data set numbers in order from smallest to greatest.

45
Q

What does cf stand for? How do you calculate it?

A

Cf = cumulative percent
It is calculated used the frequency (f) and total number of trials (n).

46
Q

What does cf% stand for? How is it calculated?

A

It is the cumulative frequency percentage. It is calculated by dividing the calculated “cf” by 10.

47
Q

What does “the 90th percentile” mean?

A

It means that you scored higher than 90% of participants.

48
Q

What is a “normal distribution”?

A

A bell graph/curve where the mean=median=mode, also known as a bell graph.

49
Q

Define relative frequency.

A

It is a measure that indicates the number of time an event occurs compared to the number of times it was observed.

50
Q

What does “//“ mean?

A

That the x-axis is not beginning at 0

51
Q

What is a histograph?

A

A bar graph that shows the frequency of each value of a variable.

52
Q

What are the 3 measures of central tendency?

A

The mean, median and mode.

53
Q

Define the “mean”.

A

Measurement of the average of a dataset

54
Q

Define the “median”.

A

Measurement of the middle value of a dataset.

55
Q

Define the “mode”.

A

Measurement of the most common value in a dataset.

56
Q

What is the “mean” of a population?

A

The parameter known as mu.

57
Q

What is the “mean” of a sample?

A

The statistic known as capital “M”.

58
Q

What does a bimodal model mean in terms of the mean, median and, mode.

A

It means that the mode and median are equal and lower than the modes which are peaked at either ride.

59
Q

Define the precise median for continuous variables.

A

It is the exact value that splits the distribution of data in half.

60
Q

How do you find the precise median using the interpolated manner? Briefly explain.

A
61
Q

Define variability.

A

The extent to which data point differ from the mean.

62
Q

What 2 things does variability tell us.

A
  1. How consistent the scores are
  2. How accurate the mean (or median) describes the distribution
63
Q

What is a disadvantage of the range?

A
  1. It depends on only 2 observations
  2. It’s gets larger and larger with the sample sizes
64
Q

What is the formula for range?

A

X (highest) - X (lowest) = range

65
Q

Define degrees of freedom.

A

It is the number of values in a statistical calculation that are free to vary.

66
Q

Define standard deviation.

A

It is a statistical measure that qualifies the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of data values. It indicates how much individual data points deviate from the mean of the dataset.

67
Q

How do you calculate the standard deviation? Briefly explain.

A

Psychology Statistics (2 decks)

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