Research methods Flashcards
What are binary variables?
There are only two categories
What are nominal variables?
Variables where there are more than two categories
What are ordinal variables?
Categorical variables (like binary and nominal), but where the order matters
What are interval variables?
Equal intervals on the variable represent equal
differences in the property being measured (temperature, IQ scores, dates)
What are ratio variables?
The same as an interval variable, but the ratios of scores
on the scale must also make sense and have true 0 value
What is Test-retest reliability?
The ability of a measure to produce consistent results when the same
entities are tested at two different points in time.
What is Inter-rater reliability?
Consistency across people. Do they produce the same answer?
What is Parallel forms reliability?
Do different measures that are supposed to measure the same thing
actually measure it the same? (Two different eye trackers)
What is Internal consistency reliability?
Do things that are supposed to measure the same thing actually
measure it? (Multiple questions measuring IQ)
What is a dependent variable?
The variable that “has to be explained”, or the outcome variable
What is an independent variable?
The variable that “has to do the explaining”, or the predictor variable
What is internal validity?
The extent to which you are able to draw the correct conclusions about
the causal relationships between variables
What is external validity?
The generalizability of your findings. To what extent do you expect to
see the same pattern of resuts in “real life” as you saw in your study
What is construct validity?
Whether you’re actually measuring what you want to be measuring
What is face validity?
Whether or not a measure “looks like” it’s doing what it’s supposed to
