Exam #1 Flashcards
Characteristics of EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
- Manipulate the Independent Variable
- Random assignment
- Control other factors
- Cause & effect conclusions
Characteristics of CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
- Variables are simply observed and measured.
2. Cannot make causal statements.
RANDOM ASSIGNMENT
Each member has an EQUAL CHANCE of being in a particular research condition.
What is RANDOM SAMPLING?
When each individual in a population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample.
What is a REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE?
A sample that represents the variation present in the population.
What are INDEPENDENT VARIABLES?
Manipulated variable
What is a DEPENDENT VARIABLE?
Depend on group/outcome
What is a CONFOUNDING VARIABLE?
Uncontrolled variables that are unintentionally allowed to vary systematically with the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
What is a POPULATION?
All members who fit in a specific category
What is a SAMPLE?
Subset of population
What are characteristics of a POPULATION called?
PARAMETERS, Greek letters
What are characteristics of SAMPLES called?
STATISTICS, Roman letters
What are DESCRIPTIVE statistics?
Mean, average, frequencies
What are INFERENTIAL statistics?
Make generalizations, z, t, f
What is SAMPLING ERROR?
Discrepancy between a sample statistic and a true parameter,
When does SAMPLING ERROR occur?
During RANDOM SAMPLING, less error with bigger samples
What is a CONSTRUCT?
Explain underlying behavior: self-esteem, intelligence, depression, anxiety, racism, personality
What is an OPERATIONAL DEFINITION?
Define constructs in terms of a response that can be observed, measured, manipulated: SAT, ACT
Four types of SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
Nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio
NOMINAL
Least informative: gender, major
ORDINAL
Ranked, higher=better, intervals are meaningless
What us DISCRETE MEASUREMENT?
Each observation is an indivisible unit: kids in a family
What is a CONTINUOUS MEASUREMENT?
Numbers are not limited to specific categories: 1.2, 3.4
Frequency tables- F
frequency
Frequency tables-P
proportion
Frequency tables-CF
cumulative frequency- number at or below a particular score, highest score =N
Frequency tables-CP
cumulative proportion-proportion at or below a particular score, all equal 1.0
Rule for making grouped frequency tables
lowest end of the lowest interval should be evenly divisible by the interval width.
