Week 1: Types of Outcomes + NHST Flashcards
Process of hypothesis testing (6)
- We have a question or hypothesis about a population
- Propose a study to gather data
- The design of the study aims to optimise it to gain the most valuable information about the hypothesis
- Collect data
- Use statistics to test the hypothesis base on a model of the data (informed by hypothesis)
- Examine and interpret the results.
There are constraints of getting valueable info for hypothesis from study’s design such as - (2)
duration of the study
how many people you can recruit
What is a sample?
A sample is the specific group that you will collect data from.
What is a population?
A population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about.
Example of population vs sample (2)
Population : Advertisements for IT jobs in the UK
Sample: The top 50 search results for advertisements for IT jobs in the UK on 1 May 2020
What does the arrows show in process of hypothesis testing? (2)
show the iterative nature of hypothesis testing,
the question or design to answer the question can be updated on the basis of the statistical analysis from only study so a future study can be devised.
The decision tree above guides you to the appropriate
inferential statistics (statistical approach) to use
What is inferential statistics?
Inferential statistics allow you to test a hypothesis or assess whether your data is generalisable to the broader population.
What we have measured is called the (2)
outcome variable/
DV variable
The outcome variables influences what
statistical test to use on data you have gathered
Why is there a focus to do parametric tests than others in research? - (3)
- they are more rigorous, powerful and sensitive than non-parametric tests to answer your question
- This means that they have a higher chance of detecting a true effect or difference if it exists.
- They also allow you to make generalizations and predictions about the population based on the sample data.
What question has been covered?
We measure the answers to our question (hypothesis) which
informs on our question (hypothesis)
We can obtain multiple outcomes from the
same people
We can obtain outcomes under
different conditions, groups or both
We specificy what we measure and under what condition we measure them in the
design of the experiment or study
What are the 4 types of outcomes we measure? (4)
- Ratio
- Interval
- Ordinal
- Nominal
What is a continous variables? - (2)
: there is an infinite number of possible values these variables can take on-
entities get a distinct score
2 examples of continous variables (2)
- Interval
- Ratio
What is an interval variable?
: Equal intervals on the variable represent equal differences in the property being measured
Examples of interval variables - (2)
e.g. the difference between 600ms and 800ms is equivalent to the difference between 1300ms and 1500ms. (reaction time)
temperature (Farenheit), temperature (Celcius), pH, SAT score (200-800), credit score (300-850)
What is ratio variable?
The same as an interval variable and also has a clear definition of 0.0.
Examples of ratio variable - (3)
E.g. Participant height or weight
(can have 0 height or weight)
temp in Kelvin (0.0 Kelvin really does mean “no heat”)
dose amount, reaction rate, flow rate, concentration,
What is a categorical variable? (2)
A variable that cannot take on all values within the limits of the variable
- entities are divided into distinct categories
What are 2 examples of categorical variables? (2)
- Nominal
- Ordinal
What is nominal variable? - (2)
a variable with categories that do not have a natural order or ranking
Has two or more categories
Examples of nominal variable - (2)
genotype, blood type, zip code, gender, race, eye color, political party
e.g. whether someone is an omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, or fruitarian.
What is ordinal variables?
categories have a logical, incremental order
Examples of ordinal variables - (3)
e.g. whether people got a fail, a pass, a merit or a distinction in their exam
socio economic status (“low income”,”middle income”,”high income”),
satisfaction rating [Likert Scale] (“extremely dislike”, “dislike”, “neutral”, “like”, “extremely like”).
Using the term ‘variables’ for continous and categorical variables as - (2)
both outcome and predictor are variables
We will see later on that not only the type of outcome but also type of predictor influences our choice of stats test
Likert scale is ordinal variable but sometimes outcomes measured on likert scale are treated as - (3)
continuous after inspection of the distribution of the data and may argue the divisons on scale are equal
(i.e., treated as interval if distribution is normal)
gives greater sensitivity in parametric tests
What is measurement error?
The discrepancy between the actual value we’re trying to measure, and the number we use to represent that value.
Example of measurement error in psych experiments - (2)
Imprecise measurement: Not accurate to use a stopwatch to measure reaction times that are about 1/2 second
Systematic problem: broken ruler (affects validity)
In reducing measurement error in outcomes, the
values have to have the same meaning over time and across situations
Validity means that the (2)
instrument measures what it set out to measure
refers to the accuracy of a measure (whether the results really do represent what they are supposed to measure