Research and Statistics Flashcards
dependent variable
What is measured. It is what is affected by manipulation of the independent variable
Independent variable
The treatment measure - what is manipulated by the experimenter.
Cause-effect relationships
Can be found by experiments
Cross-sectional research
measures people from various age groups simultaneously
Ex Post Facto studies
(Retrospective / causal-comparative studies)
The independent variable (I e., # siblings, SES; # cigarettes) known. Start with effect and seek causes; no random assignment
Solomon Four-Group Design
With two control groups and two experimental groups. Half the groups have a pretest and half do not have a pretest. This tests both the effect itself and the effect of the pretest.
Between Subjects Design
Grouping Participants to Different Conditions
Within Subject Design
Participants Take Part in the Different Conditions - Also: Repeated Measures Design
Counterbalanced Measures Design
Testing the effect of the order of treatments when no control group is available/ethical
Matched subjects design
Matching participants to create similar experimental- and control-groups
Double-Blind Experiment
Neither the researcher, nor the participants, know which is the control group. The results can be affected if the researcher or participants know this.
Bayesian Probability
Using bayesian probability to interact with participants is a more dvanced experimental design. It can be used for settings were there are many variables which are hard to isolate. The researcher starts with a set of initial beliefs, and tries to adjust them to how participants have responded
Nominal Variables
Category or name
i.e. Girls / Boys
Ordinal Variables
Rank or ordering of levels
- Likert Scale
Interval Variables
Numerical with equal intervals or distance between numbers
- Scores on an exam
Ratio Variables
Same as interval scale but there is an absolute zero indicating an absence of the property measured
- i.e. Syllables stuttered