Week 3 - Definitions and Variables Flashcards
deliberately and consciously invented or adopted for a special scientific purpose. used in theoretical schemes.
construct
a symbol to which numerals of values are assigned.
variable
the variable that is presumed to cause a change in the dependent variable.
independent variable
the antecedent
independent variable
the consequent
dependent variable
Name 3 examples of independent variables.
- gender
- race
- socioeconomic status
Name 2 other names for independent variables.
- treatment
- factor and predictor variable
Name 3 other names for dependent variables.
- outcome variable
- results variable
- criterion variable
those being studied (could be independent or dependent or neither)
research variables
describe the population (and may be confounding variables).
demographic variables
influence relationships being studied.
extraneous (confounding) variables
defined as the process of assigning numerals to variables to represent quantities of characteristics according to certain rules.
measurement
capable of taking on an ordered set of values within a certain range.
continuous variable
can only take on two values (Ex: yes/no on a survey)
dichotomous variables
can have multiple values (ex: a 5-point opinion scale)
polytomous variables
can theoretically have any value along a continuum with a defined range. ex: weight in pounds
continuous variables
can only be described in whole integer units ex: heart rate in beats per minute.
discrete variables
direct observations of a physical property ex: ROM is degrees or length in cm
direct measures
measures that are not observable ex: the height of a column of mercury to measure temperature
indirect measures
measured as some value assumed to represent the underlying variable. ex: intelligence, health, strength
abstract variables
numbers represent units with equal intervals, measured from true zero
ratio scale
numbers have equal intervals, but no true zero
interval scale
numbers indicate rank order
ordinal scale
numerals are category labels
nominal scale
a single value that attempts to describe a set of data by identifying the central position within that set of data.
measure of central tendency
Name 3 examples of measures of central tendency.
mean, median, mode
the most popular and well known measure of central tendency. can be used with both discrete and continuous data, although its use is most often with continuous data. equal to the sum of all the values in the data set divided by the number of values in the data set.
mean
the middle score for a set of data that has been arranged in order of magnitude. less affected by outliers and skewed data.
median
the most frequent score in our data set.
mode
outside factors that are associated with the other variables.
confounding variables
rankings have meaning, they mean something ex: MMT 0-4, salary
ordinal scale
rankings don’t mean anything - lower score and higher scores (temperature - hotter, colder, doesn’t mean good or bad)
interval scale
