quant-chapter 1

Question 1

statistics

Answer 1

branch of mathematics used to summarize, analyze, and interpret a group of numbers or observations

Question 2

descriptive statistics

Answer 2

statistics that summarize, organize, make sense of a set of scores or observations. presented in graphs, tables, or as summary statistics

Question 3

inferential statistics

Answer 3

procedures used that allow researchers to infer or generalize observations made with samples to the larger population from which they were selected

Question 4

data

Answer 4

measurements or observations that are typically numeric

Question 5

datum

Answer 5

singular of data, single measurement or observation, usually referred to as a score or raw score

Question 6

population (N)

Answer 6

defined as the set of all individuals, items or data of interest; group scientists try to generalize

Question 7

population parameter

Answer 7

characteristic that describes a population

Question 8

sample (n)

Answer 8

set of selected individuals, items or data taken from a population of interest

Question 9

sample statistic

Answer 9

characteristic that describes a sample

Question 10

science

Answer 10

study of phenomena, such as behavior, through strict observation, evaluation, interpretation, and theoretical explanation

Question 11

experiment

Answer 11

any study that demonstrates cause, must control the conditions under which observations are made to isolate cause and effect relationships between variables

Question 12

3 requirements for an experiment

Answer 12

randomization, manipulation, comparison

Question 13

random assignment

Answer 13

random procedure used to ensure that participants in a study have an equal chance of being assigned to a particular group or condition

Question 14

independent variable

Answer 14

variable that is manipulated in an experiment, different levels per group

Question 15

dependent variable

Answer 15

variable that is believed to change in the presence of the independent variable

Question 16

operational definition

Answer 16

description of some observable event in terms of the specific process or manner by which it was observed or measured

Question 17

quasi-experiment

Answer 17

a study that lacks randomization, manipulation, or comparison

Question 18

quasi-independent variable

Answer 18

variable whose levels are not randomly assigned to participants. differentiates groups or conditions being compared in a quasi experiment

Question 19

correlation

Answer 19

determines a relationship between variables

Question 20

scales of measurment

Answer 20

rules for how the properties of numbers can change with different uses

Question 21

nominal scale

Answer 21

measurements where a number is assigned to represent something or someone

Question 22

coding

Answer 22

procedure of converting a nominal value to a numeric value

Question 23

ordinal scale

Answer 23

measurements where values convey order or rank alone

Question 24

interval scale

Answer 24

measurements where the values have no true zero and the distance between each value is equidistant

Question 25

equidistant scales

Answer 25

values whose intervals are distributed in equal units

Question 26

true zero

Answer 26

describes values where the value 0 truly indicates nothing

Question 27

ratio scales

Answer 27

measurements where a set of values has a true zero and are equidistant

Question 28

continuous variable

Answer 28

measured along a continuum at any place beyond the decimal point. can be measured in whole units or fractional units

Question 29

discrete variable

Answer 29

measured in whole units or categories that are not distributed along a continuum

Question 30

quantitative variable

Answer 30

varies by amount, measured numerically and is often collected by measuring or counting

Question 31

qualitative variable

Answer 31

varies by class, represented as a label and describes nonnumeric aspects of phenomena