The Basics

Question 1

What is a variable?

Answer 1

A variable is anything that can vary i.e. changed or be changed

Question 2

What variable is changed in an experiment?

Answer 2

The independent variable.

Question 3

In an experiment we are looking for the effect changing the ______ variable has on the _______ variable.

Answer 3

independent

dependent

Question 4

Name this variable:

The variable that the experimenter manipulates/changes.

Answer 4

Independent variable.

Question 5

Name this variable:

The variable that the experimenter measures in their experiment.

Answer 5

Dependent variable

Question 6

Name the independent variable and dependent variable in this study:
The impact of sleep deprivation on performance.

Answer 6

Sleep Deprivation = independent variable.

Performance = dependent variable.

Question 7

It is assumed that manipulation the ______ variable will have a direct effect on the _____ variable.

Answer 7

Independent

Dependent

Question 8

Name the scale:

Sorts data into groups or categories

Answer 8

Nominal

Question 9

Name what scale this data is on?

male, female

Answer 9

nominal

Question 10

Name the scale:

Ranks data in an order.

Answer 10

Ordinal scale

Question 11

Name what scale this data is on?

first, second, third

Answer 11

Ordinal

Question 12

What is the difference between interval and ratio data?

Answer 12

Interval = no true zero
ratio = true zero

Question 13

What data would temperature be?

Answer 13

Interval - goes up and down in equal intervals.

Question 14

What does true zero mean?

Answer 14

It’s not possible to have negative values.

Question 15

What data would length and time be?

Answer 15

Ratio - goes up in equal intervals BUT can’t have a negative value.

Question 16

Continuous or discrete?

Weight and height

Answer 16

Continuous

Question 17

Continuous or discrete?

Number of seats, number of children.

Answer 17

Discrete! can’t have 2.5 children.

Question 18

How do you calculate the mean?

Answer 18

Add up all data and divide it by number of items.

Question 19

How do you calculate the median?

Answer 19

make sure data is in middle and count into the middle.

If there is an even number of items then add up the 2 middle ones and divide by 2.

Question 20

How do you calculate the mode?

Answer 20

The item that appears most often in a list of data.

Question 21

define standard deviation

Answer 21

A measure of dispersion of a set of data from its mean.

Question 22

Calculating the standard deviation:

1. Calculate _____
2. Subtract each item from the ____
3. ____ each of those answers
4. ___ all of the ____ and divide it by ______
5. then take the ____ ____!

Answer 22

1. Calculate Mean
2. Subtract each item from the Mean
3. Square each of those answers
4. Add up all of the squares and divide it by the no. of items.
5. Then take the square root!