Statistics, SPSS, and Intro Methods (Fields Ch. 1 -4) Flashcards
Between–subjects design vs. Within-Subjects design
Comparing differences between scores of individuals in different conditions versus scores of people that experience multiple conditions (with their own scores).
Boredom effect / Learning(practice) effect
Boredom effect- refers to the possibility that performance in tasks may be influenced (the assumption is a negative influence) by boredom or lack of concentration if there are many tasks, or the task goes on for a long period of time. Learning effect - refers to the possibility that participants’ performance in a task may be influenced (positively or negatively) if they repeat the task because of familiarity with the experimental situation and/or the measures being used.
Binary Variable, Categorical Variable
Binary Variable- has two values / Categorical Variable- has only two mutually exclusive categories (e.g., being dead or alive)
See PsycStats Methods Text Book ?? Nominal Variable, Ordinal Variable, Ratio Variable, Continuos Variable ??
to be updated
What are the types of Validity? List and describe them
to be updated
Concurrent validity
??? a form of criterion validity where there is evidence that scores from an instrument correspond to concurrently recorded external measures conceptually related to the measured construct.
Spurious Relationship
A mathematical relationship in which two variables have no direct causal connection, yet it may be wrongly inferred that they do, due to either coincidence or the presence of a certain third, unseen factor (referred to as a “confounding variable”) Suppose there is found to be a correlation between A & B. Aside from coincidence, there are 3 possible relationships: A causes B, B causes A, OR C causes both A and B.
Confounding variable
a variable (that we may or may not have measured) other than the predictor variables in which we’re interested that potentially affects an outcome variable.
Content validity
evidence that the content of a test corresponds to the content of the construct it was designed to cover.
Continuos Variable
a variable that can be measured to any level of precision. (Time is a continuous variable- no limit on how finely it could be measured.)
Correlational research
a form of research in which you observe what naturally goes on in the world without directly interfering with it. This term implies that data will be analysed so as to look at relationships between naturally occurring variables rather than making statements about cause and effect. Compare with cross-sectional research, longitudinal research and experimental research.
Compare and contrast: correlational research, cross-sectional research, longitudinal research and experimental research.
to be updated
Counterbalancing (***)
systematically varying the order in which participants in experimental conditions see the manipulations. In the simplest case of there being two conditions (A and B), counterbalancing simply implies that half of the participants complete condition A followed by condition B, whereas the remainder do condition B followed by condition A. The aim is to remove systematic bias caused by practice effects or boredom effects.
Criterion validity
evidence that scores from an instrument correspond with (concurrent validity) or predict (predictive validity) external measures conceptually related to the measured construct.
Cross-sectional research
a form of research in which you observe what naturally goes on in the world
without directly interfering with it, by measuring several variables at a single
time point. In psychology, this term usually implies that data come from
people at different age points, with different people representing each age
point. See also correlational research, longitudinal research.
Dependent variable
another name for outcome variable. This name is usually associated with experimental methodology (which is the only time it really makes sense) and is used because it is the variable that is not manipulated by the experimenter and so its value depends on the variables that have been manipulated. To be honest I just use the term outcome variable all the time - it makes more sense (to me) and is less confusing.
Deviance
the difference between the observed value of a variable and the value of that variable predicted by a statistical model.
Discrete variable
a variable that can only take on certain values (usually whole numbers) on the scale.
Ecological validity
evidence that the results of a study, experiment or test can be applied, and allow inferences, to real-world conditions.
Experimental research
a form of research in which one or more variables are systematically manipulated to see their effect (alone or in combination) on an outcome variable. This term implies that data will be able to be used to make statements about cause and effect. Compare with cross-sectional research and correlational research.
Falsification
the act of disproving a hypothesis or theory.
Frequency distribution
a graph plotting values of observations on the horizontal axis, and the frequency with which each value occurs in the data set on the vertical axis (a.k.a. histogram).
Histogram
a frequency distribution.