OTHER DEFINITIONS

Question 1

Reliability

Answer 1

Consistency of a
research study or
measuring test. Research is
considered reliable if we
get the same result
repeatedly.

Question 2

Validity

Answer 2

Whether or not a
test really measures what it
claims to measure. Think of
it as a measure of accuracy.

Question 3

Confounding variables

Answer 3

(aka third variables) are
variables that the
researcher failed to control,
or eliminate, damaging the
validity of an experiment

Question 4

Operational Definition

Answer 4

How we (the researcher)
decide to measure the
variables in our study
(variable = anything that
can be measured). This
allows for replication of the
study

Question 5

Independent Variable (IV)
“Cause”

Answer 5

Characteristic of a
psychology experiment
that is manipulated or
changed by researchers,
not by other variables in the
experiment

Question 6

Dependent Variable (DV)
“Effect”

Answer 6

The variable that is
being measured or tested
in an experiment.
Researchers are looking at
how changes in the
independent variable cause
changes in the dependent
variable