WEEK #2 - research methods Flashcards
in order to generate a hypothesis what needs to be identified/established ?
the variables in question need to be identified and an operational definition for each variable needs to be established
why is the operational definition important ?
as it permits for the accurate measurement of the variable
define a variable :
a quantity or quality that varies across people or situations
define quantitate variable :
a quantity that is typically measured by assigning a number to each individual
what are some examples of quantitative variables ?
height, weight, speed, distance, etc.
defne categorial variable :
a quality that is typically measured by assigening a category label to each individual
what are some examples of categorical variables ?
academic major, nationality or occupation
what is the definition of operational ?
a definition of the variables cannot be directlyerms of precisely how it is to be measured
TRUE OR FALSE
most variables cannot be directly observed or measured ?
TRUE
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
TRUE
what is sampling ?
smaller group to use for designated research in a given product
what must researchers identify when sampling ?
the population of interest and draw a smaller subset of the population (called the sample) to study
define population :
all individuals of interest
how many sampling methods are there ?
5
what are the 5 sampling methods ?
- simple random sampling
- systematic sampling
- convenience sampling
- closer sampling
- stratified sampling
define simple random sampling :
every mender of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample
define systematic sampling :
the list of participants is “counted off”
define convenience sampling :
individuals who happen to be nearby and willing to participate
define cluster sampling :
divides the population into groups called clusters or blocks. the cluster/blocks are then randomly selected and everyone within that cluster is selected
define stratified sampling :
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)
when is experimental research used ?
to test casual relationships between variables to explain a phenomenon
what happens with experimental research ?
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
how many types of experimental variables are there ?
4
what are the four experimental variables ?
- independent variables
- dependent variables
- extraneous variables
- confounds
define independent variables :
the variable being manipulated
define dependent variables :
the variable being measured
define extraneous variables :
any variable other than the dependent variable
define confounds :
a specific type of extraneous variable that systematically varies along with the variables under investigation and therefore provides an alternative explanation for the results
why must confounding variables betaken into consideration ?
to ensure they are controlled for
what is non-experimental research used to describe ?
characteristics of people, relationships between variables and using those relationships to make predictions
define non-experimental research :
variables are not manipulated, rather they are measured and/or observed as they naturally occur
TRUE OR FALSE
non-experimental does mean nonscientific ?
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
what are the three examples of descriptive statistics ?
1) measures of central tendency
2) measures of dispersion
3) correlation coefficient
define measures of central tendencies :
- mean (the average of a distribution of scores)
- mode (the most frequently occurring score in distribution
- median (the midpoint of a distribution of scores
define measures of dispersion :
- 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)
define the correlation coefficient :
- 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)
what can inferential statistics be used for ?
to draw conclusions about a population based on data for a sample
when do researchers use inferential statistics ?
to determine whether their effects are statistically significant
what is a statistically significant effect ?
is one that is unlikely die to random chance and therefore likely represents a real effect in the population
what are the two types of mistakes can be made with inferential statistics ?
- type 1 errors
- type 2 errors
what are type 1 errors ?
false positive
what are type 2 errors ?
false negatives
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
TRUE
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
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
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
TRUE
what does confirming a hypothesis strengthen ?
a theory but it can never prove a theory as a disconfirming case … can never be ruled out
what can disconfirming a hypothesis disprove ?
the theory it was derived from (however it could also mean that some unstated but relative minor assumption of the throw was not met)
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
TRUE
TRUE OR FALSE
“absence of evidence is evidence of absence”
FALSE
“absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”
