Research Design (via G-money's Study Guide) Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 4 variables that take on MANY values?

A
  1. Independent Variable
  2. Dependent Variable
  3. Confounding Variable
  4. Quasi-Independent Variable
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2
Q

what variable is manipulated by the researcher?

A

Independent Variable (its the presumed agent of change….. you should know this)

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3
Q

what variable is MEASURED by the researcher?

A

Dependent variable

DV determines if IV has an effect… duh

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4
Q

what variable reduces internal validity?

A

confounding variable

this variable is an extraneous variable. It varies systematically with the IV

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5
Q

An experiment that uses existing groups (rather than random assignment) to determine condition, is an example of what kind of variable?

A

quasi-independent variable

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6
Q

What are the 4 measurement scales?

A
  1. nominal variable
  2. ordinal variable
  3. interval variable
  4. ratio variable
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7
Q

What is the definition of a nominal variable?

A

a label or category (e.g. political party)

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8
Q

what is an ordinal variable?

A

data that is ranked or possess order (e.g. Class rank)

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9
Q

What is an interval variable?

A

ranked, meaningful differences between values (e.g. Fahrenheit temp scale)

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10
Q

what is a ratio variable?

A

ranked, meaningful differences between values AND the values of 0 signifies absence of what is measured (e.g. Kelvin temp scale)

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11
Q

Effect size measures determine WHAT?

A

practical significance rather than statistical significance:

“is the effect large enough to matter?” vs “does effect exist?”

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12
Q

what are 2 things we gotta know about Effect Size?

A
  1. used in meta-analysis to combine findings from multiple research studies (due to independence from sample sizes)
  2. “Specific Effect Size measure” varies by CONTEXT
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13
Q

Proportion of variation in one variable accounted for by the linear relationship with another is called………. ?

A

Correlation: r squared

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14
Q

difference between two group means in terms of standard deviation (control group or pooled) is called…….. ??

A

T-test: Cohen’s D

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15
Q

proportion of variation in the DV accounted for by the IV is an……..?

A

ANOVA: eta-squared, omega-squared

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16
Q

What are 2 things ya gotta know about Mixed-Method Design?

A
  1. Its both Qualitative and Quantitative data

2. Addresses limitations of one type with strengths of the other

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17
Q

what kind of design can have a narrowed focus of quantitative data complemented by “big picture” of qualitative data?

A

Mixed-Method Design

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18
Q

what kind of design allows for a larger, more representative sample, AND adjusting for extraneous variables?

A

Mixed-Methods Design

limited generalizability of qualitative data covered by external validity of quantitative data

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19
Q

What is a Solomon Four-Group Design?

A

Its a design that controls for practice effects BY randomly assigning participants to 4 groups

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20
Q

What are 5 things we gotta know about a Solomon-four group design?

A
  1. Experimental groups take a post test and receive intervention (and take a pretest if applicable)
  2. control groups do not receive intervention but take a post test (and pretest if applicable)
  3. may determine whether practice effects exist by searching for differences across testing levels
  4. rich results from replicating experimental and control conditions
  5. requires extra time and money for more groups
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21
Q

What does a correlational (or observational) study examine?

A

the relationships between unmanipulated variables

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22
Q

What kind of study measures association and does NOT establish cause and effect?

(ex: x may cause y, y may cause x, OR a third variable Z drives both)

A

correlational (or observational) study

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23
Q

What happens in a double-blind design?

A

Participants and experimenters are blind (i.e. naive) to experimental condition

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24
Q

What are 4 things that happen in a double-blind design?

A
  1. experimenters may unconsciously influence participant behavior to fit research hypotheses
  2. subtle cues such as tone of voice or posture may bias research results to fit expectations
  3. an experimenter ignorant of experimental condition should be unable to influence in a manner of fitting expectations
  4. Variations
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25
Q

In what kind of study is the Participant is naive to condition and the experimenter is not?

A

single-blind study

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26
Q

in what kind of study is the experimenter, participant AND others involved in research naive to condition?

A

triple- blind study

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27
Q

the extent to which research findings may be extended to the people, places and situations is called what?

A

External Validity

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28
Q

Developmental Research assesses changes over a period of time and consist of WHAT 3 designs?

A
  1. Longitudinal
  2. Cross-sectional
  3. Cross Sequential
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29
Q

What are the 4 main threats to a Longitudinal study?

A
  1. lengthy time requirement
  2. subject morality due to numbers of factors (illness, relocation etc)
  3. lack of randomization
  4. history primary threat to external validity
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30
Q

What kind of design has groups at each level measured at the same time?

A

Cross-sectional

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31
Q

What is a Cross Sequential Design?

A

combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs

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32
Q

what is 1 pro for a longitudinal study?

A

can provide valuable qualitative and quantitive data

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33
Q

What are 3 things you gotta know about a Cross-sectional design?

A
  1. requires much less time than a longitudinal study
  2. assumes difference reflect natural development
  3. differences may be due to cohort effect
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34
Q

What are 4 things you should know about a Cross Sequential design?

A
  1. different groups assessed repeatedly over time
  2. reduces time required to preform
  3. minimizes assumptions/cohort effects
  4. preform lit review for earlier findings
35
Q

what is the definition of Statistical Significance?

A

Results of an analysis reflecting more than one chance variation, concluding an effect most likely exists

36
Q

What is P-value

A

conditional probability of obtaining results, if null hypothesis of no effect is true

37
Q

What do we call the maximum likelihood of making a type I error that will be accepted?

A

Alpha

38
Q

what happens if P is greater than alpha?

A

results are too likely to be due to change and NO effect is concluded

39
Q

What happens if P is LESS than alpha?

A

results relatively unlikely to be attributable to chance alone and the existence of an effect IS concluded

40
Q

P-value is compared to conventionally determined Alpha to determine WHAT?

A

statistical significance

41
Q

What is a type I error?

A

concludes an effect visits when actually obtained results were due to chance alone

42
Q

What determines a probability of committing a Type I error?

A

Alpha

43
Q

What determines a probability of committing a Type II error?

A

Beta

44
Q

What is a Type II error?

A

concludes no effect exists when actually there IS an effect

45
Q

What do we call “the probability of concluding an effect exists given that it does”?

A

Power

46
Q

What are 6 of the ways Power can be increased?

A
  1. Increasing effect magnitude
  2. decreasing error variation
  3. increasing sample size
  4. increasing Alpha
  5. power analysis
  6. running a one-tailed or directional test
47
Q

What is random selection?

A

drawing a sample form a population in such a way that each member has an equal probability of being selected

48
Q

why is random selection important?

A

Supports External Validity

49
Q

What is random assignment?

A

assigning participants to experimental condition in such a way that there is an equal chance of appearing in any given condition

50
Q

why is random assignment important?

A

-supports internal validity

51
Q

What happens if random assignment is not possible because of pre-exisiting groups?

A

Quasi-experiment is in order

52
Q

what affords the best opportunity of obtaining representative samples?

A

random sampling

53
Q

What is a sample size?

A

number of observations (e.g. People) in a sample, denoted by N

54
Q

What is a “Sample” for the purpose of research?

A

a subset of a population meant to provide small snapshot that represents the whole body

55
Q

what are 3 reasons that a Larger Sample Size is preferred?

A
  1. Ensure sample is adequately representing the population
  2. Reduce Sampling error
  3. Increase Statistical Power (with less error)
56
Q

What is the definition of an ABAB design?

A

A single-subject design in which a baseline measure of the dependent variable is obtained (A) before treatment is introduced (B), removed (A) and reintroduced (B)

57
Q

In an ABAB design, if treatment has an effect, the DV will do 3 things. What are they?

A
  1. deviate from baseline when it is introduced
  2. return to baseline when removed
  3. deviate again from baseline when reintroduced
58
Q

(In an ABAB design) what happens if the DV does NOT return to baseline after removal of treatment?

A

the initial devotion may be attributed to a confounding variable

59
Q

Why is treatment reintroduced after second baseline in a ABAB design?

A
  • further establish treatment effect

- restore benefit of treatment to subject

60
Q

What kind of design (that is common in basic research) does NOT reintroduce treatment after second baseline?

A

ABA design

61
Q

What kind of design may be altered to include different treatment?

A

ABAB Design

62
Q

What is a counterbalanced design?

A

A design where multiple treatments are administered to each participant in different sequences to prevent order effects

63
Q

what are 2 disadvantages of a counterbalanced design?

A
  1. may require more participants

2. may require more sophisticated analysis

64
Q

what is an advantage of a counterbalanced design?

A

may analys between-subject variable of treatment sequence

65
Q

what is used more often:

A double blind design or a counterbalanced design?

A

double-blind

66
Q

In what kind of design does larger # of treatment = larger # of sequences?

A

Counterbalanced Design

67
Q

in a counterbalanced design, treatments might not appear in a given position of equal number of times, if the design has what?

A

a small sample

68
Q

What does an analysis of 3 different treatments look like in a counterbalanced design? (A, B, C)

A
ABC
ACB
BAC
BCA
CAB
CBA
69
Q

what is a latin square design (via counterbalanced design) ?

A

where you select a smaller # of sequences in which a given treatment appears only once in each position for 3 treatments

(e.g. ABC, CAB, BCA. A,B,C each appear only once in 1st/2nd/3rd positions)

70
Q

what is internal validity?

A

the extent to which research study rules out all alternative explanations and establishes causality

71
Q

what are the 3 supports of internal validity

A
  1. random assignment
  2. matching
  3. blocking
72
Q

What are the 9 threats to internal validity?

A
  1. history
  2. maturation
  3. testing
  4. instrumentation
  5. regression to the mean
  6. selection
  7. interactions with selection
  8. morality
  9. ambiguity about the direction of causation
73
Q

If you arnt seeking to establish that A causes B, then what is NOT a concern?

A

Internal Validity

74
Q

Internal Validity is of PARAMOUNT importance if you want to establish what?

A

That A CAUSES B!

75
Q

What is Cluster Sampling?

A

a sampling technique that involves naturally occurring groups (clusters)

(i.e. only elements of randomly selected clusters are studied)

76
Q

what is stratified sampling?

A

a sample drawn from each stratum

*Main objective is to improve precision

77
Q

in which sampling is the main objective to improve sampling efficiency and reduce cost?

A

cluster sampling

78
Q

In cluster sampling, what should the “clusters” be?

A

-internally heterogenous YET relatively homogenous among themselves

79
Q

In cluster sampling, Do you study information from ALL elements within clusters included in the sample?

A

Yes.

80
Q

What happens in a matched-subjects design?

A

each participant in one sample is matched with a participant in another sample, with respect to a specific variable (e.g. SES)

81
Q

What type of design renders conditions nearly equivalent on matched variable?

A

matched-subjects design

82
Q

What does a Matched-subjects design do to increase the Power of the study?

A

reduce error variance

83
Q

What does a Matched-Subjects design do that might DECREASE External Validity?

A

not generalize to others NOT demonstrating the matching variable