WEEK #2 - research methods

Question 1

in order to generate a hypothesis what needs to be identified/established ?

Answer 1

the variables in question need to be identified and an operational definition for each variable needs to be established

Question 2

why is the operational definition important ?

Answer 2

as it permits for the accurate measurement of the variable

Question 3

define a variable :

Answer 3

a quantity or quality that varies across people or situations

Question 4

define quantitate variable :

Answer 4

a quantity that is typically measured by assigning a number to each individual

Question 5

what are some examples of quantitative variables ?

Answer 5

height, weight, speed, distance, etc.

Question 6

defne categorial variable :

Answer 6

a quality that is typically measured by assigening a category label to each individual

Question 7

what are some examples of categorical variables ?

Answer 7

academic major, nationality or occupation

Question 8

what is the definition of operational ?

Answer 8

a definition of the variables cannot be directlyerms of precisely how it is to be measured

Question 9

TRUE OR FALSE

most variables cannot be directly observed or measured ?

Answer 9

TRUE

Question 10

TRUE OR FALSE

most variables can be operationally defined in may ways which is why it is important to have it defined at the outset

Answer 10

TRUE

Question 11

what is sampling ?

Answer 11

smaller group to use for designated research in a given product

Question 12

what must researchers identify when sampling ?

Answer 12

the population of interest and draw a smaller subset of the population (called the sample) to study

Question 13

define population :

Answer 13

all individuals of interest

Question 14

how many sampling methods are there ?

Answer 14

5

Question 15

what are the 5 sampling methods ?

Answer 15

• simple random sampling
• systematic sampling
• convenience sampling
• closer sampling
• stratified sampling

Question 16

define simple random sampling :

Answer 16

every mender of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample

Question 17

define systematic sampling :

Answer 17

the list of participants is “counted off”

Question 18

define convenience sampling :

Answer 18

individuals who happen to be nearby and willing to participate

Question 19

define cluster sampling :

Answer 19

divides the population into groups called clusters or blocks. the cluster/blocks are then randomly selected and everyone within that cluster is selected

Question 20

define stratified sampling :

Answer 20

divides the population into groups based on a specific characteristic (a sample is taken from each of these strata using either random, systematic, or convenience sampling)

Question 21

when is experimental research used ?

Answer 21

to test casual relationships between variables to explain a phenomenon

Question 22

what happens with experimental research ?

Answer 22

one or more variables are manipulated whole controlling for extraneous variables and then the manipulated variables are measured to determine how they affected the participants

Question 23

how many types of experimental variables are there ?

Answer 23

4

Question 24

what are the four experimental variables ?

Answer 24

• independent variables
• dependent variables
• extraneous variables
• confounds

Question 25

define independent variables :

Answer 25

the variable being manipulated

Question 26

define dependent variables :

Answer 26

the variable being measured

Question 27

define extraneous variables :

Answer 27

any variable other than the dependent variable

Question 28

define confounds :

Answer 28

a specific type of extraneous variable that systematically varies along with the variables under investigation and therefore provides an alternative explanation for the results

Question 29

why must confounding variables betaken into consideration ?

Answer 29

to ensure they are controlled for

Question 30

what is non-experimental research used to describe ?

Answer 30

characteristics of people, relationships between variables and using those relationships to make predictions

Question 31

define non-experimental research :

Answer 31

variables are not manipulated, rather they are measured and/or observed as they naturally occur

Question 32

TRUE OR FALSE non-experimental does mean nonscientific ?

Answer 32

FALSE non-experimental does NOT mean nonscientific as it can be used to describe and predict but cannot be used to make the casual conclusions as in the case of experimental research

Question 33

what are the three examples of descriptive statistics ?

Answer 33

1) measures of central tendency 2) measures of dispersion 3) correlation coefficient

Question 34

define measures of central tendencies :

Answer 34

- mean (the average of a distribution of scores) - mode (the most frequently occurring score in distribution - median (the midpoint of a distribution of scores

Question 35

define measures of dispersion :

Answer 35

- range (measures the distance between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution) - standard deviation (measures the average distance of scores from the mean) - variance (the standard deviation square)

Question 36

define the correlation coefficient :

Answer 36

- used to describe the strength and direction f the relationship between two variables) - the values of a correlation coefficient can range from -1.00 (the strongest possible negative relationship) to +1.00 (the strongest possible positive relationship)

Question 37

what can inferential statistics be used for ?

Answer 37

to draw conclusions about a population based on data for a sample

Question 38

when do researchers use inferential statistics ?

Answer 38

to determine whether their effects are statistically significant

Question 39

what is a statistically significant effect ?

Answer 39

is one that is unlikely die to random chance and therefore likely represents a real effect in the population

Question 40

what are the two types of mistakes can be made with inferential statistics ?

Answer 40

- type 1 errors - type 2 errors

Question 41

what are type 1 errors ?

Answer 41

false positive

Question 42

what are type 2 errors ?

Answer 42

false negatives

Question 43

TRUE OR FALSE the results of a single study cannot conclude with certainty that a theory is true, rather it can support, refute or modify the theory based on the results

Answer 43

TRUE

Question 44

TRUE OR FALSE if the results are NOT statistically significant and consistent with the hypothesis and the theory that was used to generate the hypothesis, then researchers can conclude that the theory is supported

Answer 44

FALSE if the results ARE statistically significant and consistent with the hypothesis and the theory that was used to generate the hypothesis, then researchers can conclude that the theory is supported

Question 45

TRUE OR FALSE if the results are not consistent with the hypothesis and the hypothesis is disconfirmed in a systematic empirical study, then the theory has been weakened

Answer 45

TRUE

Question 46

what does confirming a hypothesis strengthen ?

Answer 46

a theory but it can never prove a theory as a disconfirming case ... can never be ruled out

Question 47

what can disconfirming a hypothesis disprove ?

Answer 47

the theory it was derived from (however it could also mean that some unstated but relative minor assumption of the throw was not met)

Question 48

TRUE OR FALSE statistics are probabilistic in nature and because all esebarcg studies have flaws there is no such thing as scientific proof, there is only scientific evidence

Answer 48

TRUE

Question 49

TRUE OR FALSE "absence of evidence is evidence of absence"

Answer 49

FALSE "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"