Research Design test 2 Flashcards
the process of counting or averaging individual-level data in some context to capture individual-level concepts at the group level
aggregation
the loss of sample members over time, usually to death or dropout
attrition
variables that have a finite set of possible values that are fixed and distinct from one another with unknown differences between them
categorical variables
the process of precisely defining ideas and turning them into variables
conceptualization
variables that could have an infinite set of possible values that exist on a continuum from low to high with meaningful and indentifiable differences between them
continuous variables
a study in which data are collected at only one time point
cross-sectional study design
a component of a concept that represents a particular manifestation, angle, or unit
dimension
a mistake that researchers make by drawing conclusions about the micro level based on some macro-level analysis
ecological fallacy
preset response categories that give all subjects at least one accurate response
exhaustive
variables with a continuum of vaules with meaningful distances between them but no true zero
interval variables
a study in which data are collected at multiple time points
longitudinal study design
present response categories that do not overlap with one another, ensuring that respondents select the single category that best captures their view
mutually exclusive
variables with states or statuses that are parallel and cannot be ranked and ordered
nominal variables
the process of linking the conceptualized variables to a set of procedures for measuring them
operationalization
variables with categories that can be ordered in some way but have unknowable differences between them
ordinal variables
variables with a continuum of values with meaningful distances (or intervals) between them and has a true zero
ratio variables
a mistake that researchers make by drawing conclusions about the macro-level unit based on analyses of micro-level data
reductionism
a concrete aspect of social life that can be counted, such as a newspaper article, tombstone, or text message
social artifact
the level of social life about which we want to generalize (individual, neighborhood, town, country, newspapers, etc)
unit of analysis
representations that capture the different dimensions, categories, or levels of a concept
variables
a quality of a measure concerning how dependable, consistent, and predictable it is
reliability
a quality of a measure concerning how accurately or truthfully it captures the real world
validity
a dimension of validity concerning how well a measure encompasses the many different meanings of a single concept
content validity
a dimension of validity concerning whether a measure looks valid especially at first glance
face validity
a subset of a population selected for a study
sample
a sample in which (a) random chance is used to select participants for the sample, and (b) each individual has a probability of being selected that can be calculated
probability sample
a number that characterizes some quantitative aspect of a population
population parameter
a sample that is not drawn using a method of random selection
nonprobability sample
a type of probability sample in which each individual has the same probability of being selected and in which each pair of individuals has the same probability of being selected
simple random sample
a sampling strategy in which cases are deliberately selected on the basis of features that distinguish them from other cases
purposive sampling
a sampling strategy in which the researcher starts with one respondent who meets the requirements for inclusion and asks him or her to recommend another person to contact (who also meets the requirements for inclusion)
snowball sampling
