Key science skills

Question 1

What is population?

Answer 1

Refer to the entre group of research interest from which a sample is drawn and to which the researcher will seek to generalise (apply) the results of the investigation.

Question 2

What is a sample?

Answer 2

A sample is a subset or part of the population that is selected for research purposes.

Question 3

What is random sampling?

Answer 3

Random sampling is a sampling technique that ensures every member of the population of research interest has an equal change of being selected to be part of the sample.

Question 4

What is random allocation?

Answer 4

When every member of the sample has an equal chance of being assigned to each condition in the experiment.

Question 5

What is an independent variable? (IV)

Answer 5

The IV is the variable that is being changed.

Question 6

What is the dependant variable? (DV)

Answer 6

The DV is the variable that is being measured.

Question 7

What is a hypothesis? And what does it include?

Answer 7

A hypothesis is a prediction about what will happen in an experiment.
It includes the IV, DV, population and a direction.

Question 8

What is a case study? Name a limitation.

Answer 8

A case study is an in-depth investigation of some behaviour activity, event or problem of interest in a single individual.
A limitation is:
- small sample size
- you cannot generalise a case study to a population

Question 9

What is a correlation study?

Answer 9

It is a study that is used to investigate the relationship that exists between variables without any control over the setting in which the relationship occurs or any manipulation by the researcher.

Question 10

What is quntitative data?
Give an example.

Answer 10

Information that is expressed numerically. (involves numbers).
EG. Age, height, weight

Question 11

What is qualitative data? Give an example.

Answer 11

Is information that is not expressed numerically. It uses category’s. EG. gender, religion

Question 12

What is the scientific mehtod?

Answer 12

• Question
• Research
• Hypothesis
• Experiment
• Data analysis
• Conclusion
• Communication

Question 12

What is a control group?

Answer 12

The group that is not exposed to the independent variable.

Question 13

Controlled variable?

Answer 13

Factors that are kept constant to ensure that only one variable (IV) causes an effect.

Question 13

What are the two types of validity?

Answer 13

Internal and external validity.
Internal validity examines whether the study design, conduct, and analysis answer the research questions without bias.

External validity examines whether the study findings can be generalized to other contexts.

Question 14

What is a random error?

Answer 14

Random errors affect the precision of a measurement. Happens in the measuring process.

Question 15

What is systematic errors?

Answer 15

Errors that affect the accuracy of a measurement. It causes readings to differ each tie by a consistent amount.

Question 16

What is a extraneous variable?

Answer 16

An extraneous variable is any factor that is not the independent variable that can affect an experiment’s dependent variables.

Question 17

What is primary data? What is secondary data?

Answer 17

Primary data is information collected directly by the researcher (or through others) for their own purpose.
Where as secondary data is information that was not collected directly by the current researcher but was collected at an earlier time by someone else.

Question 18

What does beneficence mean?

Answer 18

beneficence is the commitment to maximising benefits and minimising the risks and harms involved in taking a particular position or course of action.