[L1] Research in Psychology and Basic Concepts in Statistics

Question 1

– replicability of findings in research.

Answer 1

Reliability

Question 2

– entire collection of events/observations we
are interested in studying.

Answer 2

Population

Question 3

are those values that are above and below the
recorded value by one-half of the smallest measuring unit
of the scale.

Answer 3

Real limits

Question 4

(frequency data or qualitative data)

Answer 4

Categorical data –

Question 5

] – not only give rank but also quantify and
compare the size differences (interval) between.

Answer 5

Interval

Question 6

– observations drawn from the population and
used to infer something about the characteristics of the
population.

Answer 6

Samples

Question 7

Levels of Measurement of Variables/Scales

Answer 7

nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio

Question 8

– variables that allow for only categorization
into named sets. Individual items belong to some
distinctively different categories, but there is no
quantifying or ranking of items.

Answer 8

Nominal

Question 9

variable affected by the variations
in the independent variable.

Answer 9

Dependent variable –

Question 10

– term used to refer to the population
where samples are drawn from.

Answer 10

Sampling frame

Question 11

– variables that could have an effect
on other variables and the one usually controlled in
research.

Answer 11

Independent variable

Question 12

– variables which are ranked in order in terms
of which has less and which has more of the quality
represented by the variable, but not how much more.

Answer 12

Ordinal

Question 13

Since a ___ may have an infinite number
of values between adjacent units on the scale, all
measurements made are approximate.

Answer 13

continuous variable

Question 14

– variables that have an identifiable absolute ot
true zero point

Answer 14

Ratio

Question 15

– a formal way of expressing a question as a prediction that can be tested.

Answer 15

Hypothesis

Question 16

variables that can take on only a
limited number of values. (e.g., gender, high school class)

Answer 16

Discrete variables –

Question 17

Thus, when the final answer is required to have two
decimal places, you should carry intermediate
calculations to at least ____ decimal places and round the
final answer to two places.

Answer 17

four

Question 18

refers to whether or not experimental
or research results can be generalized to a real-world
situation.

Answer 18

External validity –

Question 19

manipulation of variables in research
has led to an observed/desired difference.

Answer 19

Internal validity –

Question 20

inferring hypotheses or educated
guesses from the sample to the population with the use of
statistical procedures.

Answer 20

Inferential statistics –

Question 21

– (developed by ____) necessity of
paying close attention to data and examining them in
detail before invoking more technically involved
procedures

Answer 21

Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) or Exploratory
Statistics; John Tukey

Question 22

Independent variables may be either ___,___,___,____

Answer 22

quantitative or
qualitative and discrete or continuous.

Question 23

statistics primarily aimed at
describing or summarizing data into meaningful
framework.

Answer 23

Descriptive statistics –

Question 24

– data which are
results of any sort of measurement.

Answer 24

Quantitative data/Measurement Data

Question 25

Dependent variables are generally, but not always,
____

Answer 25

quantitative and continuous

Question 26

variables which can assume, at
least in theory, any value between the lowest and highest
points on the scale.

Answer 26

Continuous variables –

Question 27

Denoted by the greek letter (mu) u

Answer 27

Population

Question 28

things/observations/constructs that can be
measured, controlled, or manipulated in research and can
take on different values.

Answer 28

Variable/s –

Question 29

hypothesis that states that there will be
no effect of the independent variable on the dependent
variable.

Answer 29

Null hypothesis –

Question 30

It is standard practice to carry all intermediate calculations
____decimal places further than will be
reported in the final answer.

Answer 30

to two or more

Question 31

– measurement taken from the population.

Answer 31

Parameter

Question 32

– measurements collected from the sample drawn
from the population.

Answer 32

Statistic

Question 33

Cornerstones of Research

Answer 33

validity, reliability, external validity, external validity, hypothesis, null hypothesis

Question 34

In _____ most final values are reported to two or three decimal
places, regardless of the number of significant figures in the
raw data.

Answer 34

Behavioral Sciences

Question 35

variables that can affect the
outcome of the study, but which are not strictly part of the
study. (have to be controlled in experiments)

Answer 35

Confounding variables –

Question 36

– measures what is supposed to be measured in
research.

Answer 36

Validity