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MCAT > PSYC/SOC - Research Methods > Flashcards

PSYC/SOC - Research Methods Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

Dependent variables depend on the _____ variable

A

independent

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2
Q

Operationalization

A

connecting your hypothesis with the operations you are going to do

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3
Q

Factor, explanatory variable, and predictor are all words for

A

independent variable

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4
Q

the explanatory variable is also known as the _____

A

independent variable

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5
Q

Categorical variables are categories. What two variables fit into this section?

A

Nominal and ordinal

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6
Q

Nominal

A

categorical variable that is a name

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7
Q

Ordinal variable

A

classes data in ordered categories but does not convey the degree or magnitude of difference between the categories.

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8
Q

what type of variable isa rate your pain on a scale of 1-10

A

ordinal

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9
Q

Interval variables

A

quantitative

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10
Q

Ratio variable

A

what we think of as a normal number

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11
Q

what type of variable is it when there is a fundamental zero?

A

Ratio variable

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12
Q

What type of a variable is it if there is an arbitrary zero?

A

interva

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13
Q

Why recruit and sort randomly?

A

To make it likely that differences will be spread out between the experimental group(s) and control group(s). People are weird so spread them out so that the weirdness spreads out

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14
Q

When a conclusion is based on a sample, it is called a _______. If the whole population were to be measured, that’s a parameter. Statistics are estimates of parameters

A

statistic

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15
Q

Parameter is a number describing a whole _____

A

population

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16
Q

a statistic is is a number describing a sample and is an estimate of the ____

A

parameter

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17
Q

cluster random sampling is usually used for ____

A

convenience

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18
Q

Stratified sampling sorts a population that behave ____

A

differently

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19
Q

Cluster random sampling sorts a population that behaves ___

A

similarily

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20
Q

what is non-probability sampling?

A

snowball

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21
Q

Descriptive statistics describes ____. It does not seek relationships within it.

A

data

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22
Q

What are potential problems with matched pair design or block design?

A

We may nit know that age and sex are important variables. Maybe we can’t pair exactly

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22
Q

A block design is when we ___ first, then randomize.

A

group. I.e male and female and then randomize

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22
Q

Unblinded is when ____ knows which participants are in which group

A

everyone

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23
Q

Blinding refers to who knows whether a participant is in the experimental or ____ group

A

control

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23
Q

Single blind is when the participant doesn’t know which group they’re in, but the ____ knows

A

researcher

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24
Q

Double blind is when neither the _____ or the ______ knows which group the participant is in. Only a third party (research coordinator) knows.

A

participant, researcher

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25
Q

What is the limitation of a matched pair design? It requires a knowledge of important ______ before the study begins

A

variables

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26
Q

Observational studies are when scientists observe variables without ____ them

A

manipulating

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27
Q

Observational studies are usually ______ studies, meaning they seek to correlate two or more variables.

A

correlation (move in the same direction, not necessarily cause and effect)

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28
Q

Cross-sectional studies study a sample at ____ point in time. Example: 5000 people’s LDL cholesterol and average daily step counts are testes. IS there a correlation between step count and LDL cholesterol

A

one. These are pretty easy to do. Your daily step count and LDL are linked but this is not establishing a cause and effect. Only correlated

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29
Q

Longitudinal studies study one sample over _____. Example: 500 people’s step counts and LDL concentrations are tested in the present time. Two years later, these are tested again. Are changes in step count and LDL cholesterol correlated?

A

time

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30
Q

Case-control studies study two groups: one that has a certain outcome (skin cancer) and one that does not. Then the values of another variable (sun exposure) are compared between groups. This is used for _____ outcomes. These are very ____ to do.

A

rare, difficult

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31
Q

Quasi-experimental studies or natural experiments are when an _______ is applied, but not applies randomly. Ex/ one city’s infrastructure changed to encourage walking while another stays constant. Does this change correlate with LDL cholesterol concentration of the residents.

A

interventions

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32
Q

Case studies dig deeply in a ____ cases.

A

few

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33
Q

A mixed methods approach combines multiple methods in a way that pains a more ____ picture.

A

complete

34
Q

all normal distributions have the same properties. 1) they have a ____ shape and are ______. 2) the mean u(mu) is in the center of the distribution. 3) the area under the curve is __.

A

bell, symmetrical
1

35
Q

the 50th percentile means that you beat 50% of people and 50% people beat you. Splitting into percentiles means to split into ___ pieces

A

100

36
Q

quartiles allows us to split the data into four portions. the second quartile is the same as the ____

A

median

37
Q

The interquartile range is Q3-___

A

Q3-Q1

38
Q

For 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 20 the quartiles are. knowing Q2 is 12

A

Q1 is 10
Q2 is 12
Q3 is 18

39
Q

The measures of centreal tendency are mean, median, and ___

A

mode

40
Q

An ______ can dramatically skew the mean

A

outlier

41
Q

when the data is left skewed the mean is furthest left then the median and then the mode. When the data is right skewed the mean is the furthest right and then the median and the mode is the least ____

A

impacted

42
Q

The ___ gets pulled the hardest by the skew.

A

mean

43
Q

Measures of dispersion are ___, interquartile range, variance/standard deviation

A

range

44
Q

the ____ is calculated by Biggest-smallest

A

range

45
Q

Interquartile range is calcualted by

A

Q3-Q1

46
Q

variance is the standard deviation ____

A

squared

47
Q

the boxplot provides a graphical display of the 5 number summary

A

min num, Q1 Q2 Q3 and max

48
Q

the box does not show the mean it shows the ____ at Q2

A

median

49
Q

High Accuracy is hitting the ____ of the board

A

middle

50
Q

Precision is being ______.

A

consistent, so off target but at the same place

51
Q

is accuracy or precision related to measure of central tendency?

A

accuracy

52
Q

precision or accuracy concerned with tendency of dispersion

A

precision

53
Q

dispersion is related to ___

A

precision

54
Q

A systematic error is also known as a __

A

bias

55
Q

if we dont know the Actual number we cant determine
____

A

accuracy

56
Q

if we have a 95% CI and we want a 99% CI we need to _____ the range

A

expand

57
Q

standard error is about the ______ of the distribution

A

spread

58
Q

A low p value is unlikely to have occurred due to ___

A

chance

59
Q

the hypothesis that it is just due to chance is the ____ _____

A

null hypothesis

60
Q

the ______ hypothesis tells us something is going on

A

alternative

61
Q

The null hypothesis is like saying nothing is going on. Change is due to __ alone

A

chance

62
Q

a p-value of 0.03 means (for example) that there is a 3% probability that these observations (or more extreme ones) occurring due to ____

A

chance

63
Q

If P is ___ than 0.05 then the results are significant

A

less than

64
Q

if p-value is less than the alpha, the we reject

A

H0

65
Q

Type 1 errors is a _____ positive

A

false

66
Q

Type 1 errors (false positive) is rejected when it is actually ____

A

true

67
Q

type 2 error is a false ____

A

negative

68
Q

Type 2 error (false negative) if the null hypothesis is not rejected when it ___

A

should be

69
Q

an alpha of 0.01 vs 0.05 is better because it has a ____ type 1 error

A

lower

70
Q

when alpha 0.05 is used the probability of a type 1 error is a maximum of ___%

A

5%

71
Q
A
72
Q

how to remember type I and type II error?

A

type I you can make a P (FP)
type II you can make an N (FN)

73
Q

We will only use a correlation coefficeint to compare two numbers

A
74
Q

simple linear regression describes how one variable is associated with another and is an extension of ____

A

correlation

75
Q

a lower Rsquared value means there is more spread

A
76
Q

Residual is what is left over

A

observed-predicted

77
Q

for r (correlation coefficient) we need to compare # and # and needs to be between -1 and 1

A
78
Q

A chi squared test is ____

A

categorical

79
Q

A test test is used to compare a number between two categories

A

i.e life expectancy different b/w Canadian and Americans

80
Q

ANOVA is like a t-test more more than two groups

A

a number between two categories

81
Q

Internal validity is for ____ and effect

A

cause and effect

82
Q

external validity is the ability to do it in other situations

A
83
Q

ethnographic studies are likely to have strong ___ validity

A

external

84
Q

which study tends to have the highest internal validity?

A

experimental studies

85
Q

standard deviation are show as error bars on a scatter plot

A
86
Q

n

A

MCAT (17 decks)

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