Exam I

Question 1

Conceptual Variable

Answer 1

Abstract concepts expressed in concept level language; what researchers mean when using a specific term.

Question 2

Confound

Answer 2

When you think one thing caused an outcome, but other things change too, so you’re confused about the real cause.

Question 3

Intuition is often biased by…

Answer 3

A good story, availability heuristic, failing to think about what you can’t see, bias blind spot, and confirmation bias.

Question 4

Research is best because conclusions are more likely to be correct and less prone to…

Answer 4

Personal biases, lack of a comparison group, confounds, and individual biases of “authority” figures.

Question 5

Variable

Answer 5

Something in a study that has two or more levels.

Question 6

Measured Variable

Answer 6

Researcher observes existing levels and records of them.

Question 7

Manipulated Variable

Answer 7

Researcher controls these variables, often by assigning participants to different levels.

Question 8

Confederate

Answer 8

Someone who’s part of the study and know’s what’s being tested.

Question 9

Operationalize

Answer 9

To go from concepts to a measured or manipulated variable.

Question 10

What are the three claims scientists can make in a study?

Answer 10

Frequency, association, and causal.

Question 11

Constant

Answer 11

Something that has only one level in a study, although it could potentially vary.

Question 12

Frequency Claim

Answer 12

Describe a particular rate or a degree of a single variable; often in political surveys.

Question 13

Association Claim

Answer 13

One level of one variable is associated with a particular level on a second variable; two measured variables.

Question 14

Causal Claims

Answer 14

One variable is responsible for changing the second variable; manipulated variables and random assignment.

Question 15

What are the 3 criteria to establish that variable a caused variable b?

Answer 15

Temporal precedence, covariation, and internal validity.

Question 16

Temporal Precedence

Answer 16

If variable a causes variable b, then variable a has to happen first in time; the cause needs to happen before the effect.

Question 17

Covariation

Answer 17

A relationship between variable a and variable b is observed.

Question 18

Internal Validity

Answer 18

The confidence you have that the effects seen on variable b are done by variable a and not anything else.

Question 19

What are the four validities in psychology?

Answer 19

Internal, external, construct, and statistical.

Question 20

Validity

Answer 20

How appropriate is a conclusion or a decision for this study?

Question 21

Construct Validity

Answer 21

Do the conceptual and operational levels correspond?

Question 22

Statistical Validity

Answer 22

Are the study’s statistical conclusions accurate and reasonable?

Question 23

Margin of Error

Answer 23

A range of frequencies that tries to capture the true frequency of the population; smaller samples produce larger margins of error.

Question 24

An association claim is NOT a _____.

Answer 24

causal claim.

Question 25

External Validity

Answer 25

Who was sampled and would the findings generalize?

Question 26

What are the 3 types of measurement operationalization?

Answer 26

Observational, physiological, and self-report.

Question 27

What are the four scales of measurement?

Answer 27

Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

Question 28

Categorical Variables

Answer 28

Numbers assigned have no meaning, they just distinguish groups from each other; manipulated variables.

Question 29

Quantitative Variables

Answer 29

Numbers meaningfully place scores relative to each other.

Question 30

Nominal

Answer 30

Numbers assigned are only labels for categories.

Question 31

Ordinal

Answer 31

A rank ordering (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.).

Question 32

Interval

Answer 32

Each number equidistant from the next, but no 0 point.

Question 33

Ratio

Answer 33

Each number is equidistant and there is a true 0 point.

Question 34

Reliability

Answer 34

The consistency of dependability of a measuring technique.

Question 35

Interrater Reliability

Answer 35

The consistency among two or more researchers who observe and record participants’ behavior.

Question 36

Test-retest Reliability

Answer 36

Consistency of participants’ responses on a measure over time.

Question 37

Internal Reliability

Answer 37

Assesses the degree of consistency among the items on a scale taken at one time.

Question 38

Split-half Reliability

Answer 38

Divide scale items into two sets and assess the correlation.

Question 39

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α)

Answer 39

The average of all possible split half reliabilities

Question 40

Face Validity

Answer 40

Does it look like it’s measuring what you want to measure?

Question 41

Content Validity

Answer 41

Does the measure contain all parts that your theory says it should contain?

Question 42

What are the subjective ways of assessing construct validity?

Answer 42

Face and content.

Question 43

What are the empirical ways of assessing construct validity?

Answer 43

Criterion, convergent, and discriminant.

Question 44

Criterion Validity

Answer 44

Is your measure correlated with a relevant behavioral outcome?

Question 45

Convergent Validity

Answer 45

Is your self-report measure more strongly associated with self-report measures of similar constructs?

Question 46

Discriminant Validity

Answer 46

Is your self-report measure less strongly associated with self-report measures of similar constructs?