Variables and Research Design Flashcards
“Levels of measurement”
What are levels of measurement?
Ways of distinguishing variables
Each type of level varies in how the variable is measured
“Levels of measurement”
What are the four levels?
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
“Levels of measurement”
What is norminal?
Categories, No order
E.g. Gender
“Levels of measurement”
What is ordinal?
Ordered in terms of magnitude
Intervals are not necessarily equal
“Levels of measurement”
Interval?
Equal intervals
no absolute zero
E.g. Temperature
“Levels of measurement”
Ratio?
Equal intervals
absolute zero
E.g. Time
“Levels of measurement”
Why are they important?
Influence use of statistical test to analyse data
“Levels of measurement”
What type of statistical test is used for interval and ratio?
Parametric tests
“Levels of measurement”
What type of statistical test is used for ordinal and nominal?
NON-parametric tests
“Research Design”
What are the four types of research strategies
Descriptive
Correlation
Experimental
Quasi-Experimental
“Research Design”
What is a correlation research strategy
examine relationship between variables
causation cannot be inferred
“Research Design”
What is an experimental research strategy
Random allocation of participants into groups
Analysis by a group comparison
“Research Design”
What is a quasi-experimental research strategy
non-random allocation
pseudo manipulation
“Research Design”
what is a descriptive research strategy
no manipulation of variables
observational
cannot prove causality
“Research Design”
Between-Participant design
participants spread between different conditions
“Research Design”
Within-Participant Design
same participants within each condition
“Research Design”
strengths of within participant designs
more Control of confounding variables
Cheaper - Less participants need
“Research Design”
Strengths of between participant design
Less likely to work out purpose of study
Absence of the fatigue and practice (order effects)
“Research Design”
counterbalancing purpose
reduce order effects
“Research Design”
what is counter balancing
participants are split to complete tasks or conditions in different order to each other
