Module 2 Flashcards
Types of Research Questions (8)
- Existence questions
- Description and Classification Questions
- Composition Questions
- Descriptive-Comparative Questions
- Relationship Questions\
- Causal Questions
- Causal-Comparative Questions
- Causal-Comparative Interaction Questions
Existence Questions
Does x Exist?
Does it appear in nature?
Examples:
Is there such a thing as the unconscious?
Can animals use tools to solve problems?
Can chimpanzees communicate by means of symbols?
Descriptive and Classification Questions
What are the characteristics of x?
To what extent does x exist?
Does x take on multiple values or it it invariant?
What are the limits of x?
Is x unique or does it belong to a known class (taxonomy) of things?
Examples:
- What are the personality characteristics of salespeople who are successful?
- What are the child-rearing practices of mothers who are addicted to drugs?
Composition Questions
What are the components that make up x?
(answers to questions of composition call for an analysis or breakdown of a whole into its component parts.|)
Examples
- What are the principal components of personality?
- What are the main factors that make up self-esteem?
- Is intelligence a single construct, or does it have multiple independent factors?
Descriptive-Comparative Questions
Is Group A different from Group Y?
An elaboration of the simple descriptive questions. The researcher intends to compare two or more preexisting groups.
Examples:
- Are men more aggressive than women?
- Are young people more liberal than older people?
- Are wealthy people happier than poor people?
Relationship Questions
Is there a relationship or association between x and y?
They are a type of comparative question. They compare 2 groups but they address variables that are continuous in nature as well. They are also typically answered with statistical calculations, most simply with correlation coefficients.
Examples:
- Is happiness related to income?
- Is there an association between time spent studying in college and college grades?
Causal Questions
Does x produce, lead to, or prevent changes in y?
Causal implies production - one variable plays a role in generating the other (more than association)
Examples:
- Does smoking marijuana reduce epileptic seizures?
- Does playing violent video games make children more aggressive?
- Does psychotherapy change behavior? (an exploratory question because the behaviors are not specified)
Causal-Comparative Questions
Does x cause more change in y than does z?
Examples:
- Is studying for a test alone more effective for improving grades than studying in groups?
- Are antidepressant drugs more effective than psychotherapy in decreasing depression?
- Are face-to-face job interviews better than online interviews for making successful hires?
Causal-Comparative Interaction Questions
Does x cause more change in y than does z under certain conditions but not under other conditions?
They are elaborations of causal-comparative questions. When 2 or more independent variables are manipulated in a study, the researchers can determine whether the independent variables have different causal effects depending on the levels of the other independent variables.
Examples:
- Is studying alone more effective for humanities classes but studying in groups more effective for science classes?
- Is a certain medication more effective than psychotherapy in treating depression among men than woman?
- Are face-to-face job interviews better than online interviews for making successful hiring decisions depending on the type of position being filled?
Experimental Variables
An important element that is defined in the metadata of each experiment is the “experimental variable”. The experimental variable is usually one or several of the sample attribute categories. It describes the factors that differ between the test and the control samples, which you are investigating
Naturally Occurring Experimental Variables
Independent variable that is being manipulated not by them but by some real-life occurrence
Static-Group (Nonexperimental) Variable
A special type of measured variable. For example, researchers may select participants from appropriate preexisting groups, whose identifying characteristics constitute the predictor variable.
Variables that are characteristics of people that can be used to identify their assorted group memberships, including organismic variables (sex, race, ethnicity, age), status variables (education, occupation, socioeconomic status, marital status), and attribute variables (diagnosis, personality traits, political affiliations).
Most of these types of variables cannot be manipulated by the researchers.
Measured Variables
(aka predictor variables) Variables that are not manipulated by experimenters or naturally occurring events. They are measured with minimal interference on the part of the researchers.
Efficacy Research
Occurs when a treatment is conducted under highly controlled conditions, often with nonclinical samples. (a broad proof of concept/can it work under ideal conditions?)
Effectiveness Research
Designed to evaluate treatment in clinical settings, with real patients, and under conditions more routinely seen in clinical practice. (a real world test/will it work in a clinicians practice?)
