Stats and research design (Planning research, methods of control) Flashcards
Research can be categorized as ________ or quantitative, and quantitative research is further categorized as non-experimental or experimental
qualitative
Non-experimental research is conducted to collect data on variables, while experimental research is conducted to test ________ about relationships between variables
hypotheses
variables are behaviours or other characteristics that ________ from person to person or situation to situation
vary
researchers distinguish between several types of variables: A person’s status on the _______ variable is assumed to affect his/her status on the ________ variabel
independent; dependent
if a psychologist conducts a study to test the hypothesis that children who watch violent films are more aggressive that children who watch a nonviolent film, the study’s independent variable is ________ and its dependent variable is _______
Type of file (violent/non-violent); Aggressiveness
to assess the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable, the independent variable must have at least two ________
levels
researchers are sometimes interested in identifying the effects of mediator and/or moderator variables. A mediator variable _______ the relationship between independent and dependent variables, while the moderator variable _________ the relationship between independent and dependent variables
explains or accounts for; affects the strength of
an important decision when using observation to identify or measure a behaviour is how to record the behaviour. One way is to obtain a narrative record of the behaviour. For example, _______ analysis involves recording a subject’s verbalizations whens she has been instructed to “think aloud” while solving a complex cognitive problem
protocol
_______ recording is particularly useful when the target behaviour has no clear beginning or end
interval
________ sampling is a useful technique when the behaviour occurs infrequently or leaves a permanent record
event
Experimental research is categorized as true experimental or quasi-experimental. The primary feature that distinguishes true experimental research from quasi-experimental research is that, in the former, the experimenter can _________ subjects to different treatment groups
randomly assign
randomly assigning subjects to treatment groups allows the experimenter to be more certain that subjects in different groups are initially similar and, consequently, that any observed differences between them on the ______ variables were caused by the _______ variables
dependent; independent
Researchers do not ordinarily have access to the entire population of interest and must draw a _______ from that population
sample
so that any observed relationship between variables in the sample can be generalized to the _______, the people in the sample must be as _______ of the population as possible in terms of relevant characteristics such as age, gender, and severity of symptoms
population; representative
the simplest way to get a representative sample of participants is to draw a __________ sample, in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for inclusion in the sample
simple random
in contrast to other sampling techniques, ______ sampling involves selecting units (groups) of individuals rather than individuals from the populations
cluster
A research participant is instructed to “think aloud” while solving complex geometry problems in order to identify the thought processes that underlie successful and unsuccessful problem-solving. The participant’s verbalizations will be recorded and analyzed. This technique is known as:
protocol analysis
Cluster sampling involves:
randomly selecting pre-existing groups of individuals from the population
Interval recording is most useful for:
studying behaviors that have no fixed beginning or end
Scores on an extraneous variable:
correlate with scores on the dependent variable
The primary characteristic that distinguishes true experimental research from quasi-experimental research is that, in the former:
participants are randomly assigned to treatment groups
To assess the effects of a stimulus control procedure on eating behaviors, Dr. Barry Buvette obtains a sample of 20 overweight females and 20 overweight males and determines their average daily caloric intake and satisfaction with their food consumption during the seven days before and seven days after training in the procedure. The dependent variable(s) in this study is or are:
caloric intake and satisfaction with food consumption
When using the technique known as blocking:
an extraneous variable is treated as an independent variable
Protocol analysis is also referred to as the “think aloud” exercise and is used to:
obtain information about cognitions associated with a particular type of problem or other phenomenon.
Event sampling is a type of behavioral sampling that involves:
observing and recording information about a behavior when it occurs (e.g., observing a conflict between group therapy members).
Situational sampling involves:
observing a behavior in multiple settings.
Sequential analysis is used to:
encode behavioral sequences and is useful for studying complex social behaviors.
When conducting and experimental research study, an investigator wants a design that will maximize variability in the dependent variable that is due to the ______, control variability due to _______, and minimize variability due to _____.
independent variable; extraneous variables (systematic error); random error
experimental variability, or variability in the dependent variable that is due to the ______ variable, is maximized when groups are made as different as possible with respect to that variable, while variability due to _______ error is minimized by ensuring that random fluctuations in subjects, conditions, and measuring instruments are eliminated or equalized among all treatment groups
independent; random
a number of techniques are used to control the effects of extraneous variables which are irrelevant to the research hypothesis but correlate with the _________ variable
dependent
the random ________ of subjects to different levels of the independent variable is considered the most powerful method of control because it helps ensure that groups are initially _______ with regard to all known and unknown extraneous variables
assignment; equivilant
matching is useful for controlling an extraneous variable when the number of subjects is too _______ to guarantee that random assignment will equalize the groups in terms of and extraneous variable
small
when using blocking, subjects are not individually matched but are _______ in terms of their status on the extraneous variables, and subjects within each __________ are randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups
blocked (grouped); block (group)
the ANCOVA or other statistical technique can be used to statistically ______ the effects of an extraneous variable on the DV
remove
