Process Of Research

Question 1

Variables

Answer 1

• What we measure
• Phenomena that change and can be measured
• Between individual over time or different individuals
• can be compared in many ways

Question 2

Categorical and measured variables

Answer 2

Categorical: categories like SSPS, (e.g. material status)
Numerical: numbers like SSPS, (e.g. degree of agreement)

E.g.
the political party people vote for
Vs
Degrees of agreement with political acts

Question 3

Measuring variables

Answer 3

Easy:
height, weight, age
Difficult:
Characteristics

Question 4

Definition of variables

Answer 4

To be able to replicate 1:1

Directly measurable: anxiety=biting lip
Dispositional characteristics: anxiety= individual diff of how people behave

Question 5

Hypothetical construct

Answer 5

Phenomenon is assumed to exist
While assumed on observations the phenomenon might not directly be observable

Question 6

Reliability and validity

Answer 6

Reliability: constant measurements
Validity: do you measure what you want to measure

Question 7

Samples

Answer 7

Sampling frame: population
Accessible population: who can be sampled
Sample: actual participants
Inclusion criteria

Question 8

Sampling bias

Answer 8

Over or underrepresenting a group,
-convenience sample, taking people around you not representative of target population

representative samples:
-epsem (equal prob. Selection method)
-simple random sample
-systematic random sample
-stratified sampling: using procentages of population in research too

Question 9

Causality

Answer 9

Not all data has causality yet important
-might have a relationship but A doesn’t cause B
-third factor C could be at play

Question 10

Design
Cross sectional
Longitudinal
Randomized

Answer 10

Cross sectional: variables at the same time point measured (e.g. you measure opinions on climate change of first year uni students and how A affects B)
Longitudinal : variables measured on two or more time points
Randomized: select random ppl

Question 11

Independent and dependent variable

Answer 11

Independent: manipulated variable
Dependent: measured

Question 12

Design

Answer 12

Recourses (funding etc)
Research aim, sample characteristic
Previous reseatch

Question 13

Hypotheses

Answer 13

Doesn’t have to be true
Based on past research
->Direction of relationship stated
Directional causal: more a causes more b
Directional non causal: more a is related to more b
Non directional causal
Non directional non causal

Question 14

Covariance

Answer 14

Average amount that the data varies from the mean
Of variables are related then the changes should be similar
Standardization shows correlation

Question 15

Statistical hypothesis testing

Answer 15

H0 hypothesis = no relationship
HA hypothesis = relationship

Question 16

Reification

Answer 16

Tendency to treat abstract concepts as real entities