Research Methods

Question 1

Components to a statistical investigation

Answer 1

1. Planning the study
2. Examining the data (reliability and validity)
3. Inferring from the data
4. Drawing conclusions (Cause-effect)

Question 2

Reliability

Answer 2

Refers to the consistency of a measure

Question 3

Validity

Answer 3

Degree to which a measure is assessing what it is intended to measure

Question 4

Data collection variables

Answer 4

• Data varies
• Patterns of distribution
• Statistical significance

Question 5

What is the P-value

Answer 5

Probability of observing a particular outcome in a sample, or more extreme, under a conjecture about the larger population or process

Question 6

If p-value is smaller than cut-off value…

Answer 6

We reject the hypothesis that only random chance was at play here

Question 7

Sample

Answer 7

Collection of individuals on which we collect data
(Collecting random samples can be important)

Question 8

Population

Answer 8

Larger collection of individuals that we would like to generalise our results to

Question 9

Margin of Errror

Answer 9

Expected amount of random variation in a stat; oten defined for 95% confidence level

Question 10

Randomly Assigning

Answer 10

Using a probability-based method to divide a sample into treatment groups
*Importance of diversity

Question 11

IV

Answer 11

Observe or measure any impact of those changes in the dependent variable. One under the experimenter’s control or the variable that is intentionally altered between groups

Question 12

The Placebo Effect

Answer 12

Sometimes a person just knowing that he or she is receiving special treatment or something knew is enough to actually cause changes in behavior or perception

Question 13

Correlation Coefficient

Answer 13

Provides info about direction and strength of the association between two variables

Question 14

Quasi-Experimental Design

Answer 14

An experiment that does not require random assignment to conditions

Question 15

Longitudinal studies

Answer 15

Study that follows the same group of individuals over time

Question 16

To study cheating habits, Dr Martin creates a study that asks participants to take an exam in a room where there is an open textbook on a desk while being watched and videotaped. Because this study doesn’t mirror everyday life, it would be particularly low in which quality?

Answer 16

Ecological Validity

Question 17

Each night before she goes to bed, Youngha’s smartphone prompts her to log into a specific website and to answer several questions about her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. She does this every day for one month as part of a research study she has volunteered for. Which method is the researcher employing?

Answer 17

The daily diary method

Question 18

After the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001, Cohn, Mehl, and Pennebaker (2004) examined blogs of users of a specific website. Through their use of ______, they determined that their participants expressed more negative emotions and were more cognitively and socially engaged for two weeks. After that period of time, these levels returned to baseline.

Answer 18

Linguistic analyses