Research Methods Flashcards
What is a control group
Does not receive the treatment being tested
What is an experimental group
receives experiment treatment program, medication, etc.
What is a sample
selected observations from the entire set of data that are representative of the population
What is a population
all of the elements that you are interested in studying
Different methods of gathering data
Naturalistic Observation= Behavior in its natural context
Structured Observation=Researcher controls experiment
Survey data= Able to be quick and sent by email or phone
Archival Research= Uses existing records to answer questions
Advantages/disadvantages of the methods of data collection?
pros cons
naturalistic accuracy lack of observation
Structured Control in exp. Observer bias
Survey data lots of data lying, misremembering
Archival no need for exp. old data
What is Generalizability
how useful the results of a study are for a bigger group
what is Representativeness
sample mirrors the population
what is Observer bias
the individual collecting data want a certain result, can be accidental
Cross-sectional vs. Longitudinal study
cross-sectional compares multiple groups at same time point
longitudinal getting data from participants at multiple time points throughout the study
Positive vs. Negative correlation
Positive: Both variables increase and decrease together
negative: Variables have oppisite effects on each-other
How to identify a weak vs. Strong correlation
Weak: graph slope is small
Strong: graph slope is big
What is a confounding variable
Variable that influences the Independent and Dependent variables
