Week 4: Developing Your Research Proposal

Question 1

The entire group of individuals relevant to your research

Answer 1

Population

Question 2

A subset of individuals drawn from the population of interest

Answer 2

Sample

Question 3

A sample that shares the essential characteristics of the population from which it was drawn

Answer 3

Representative sample

Question 4

A method in which every member of a given population has an equal chance of being selected into a sample

Answer 4

Random Sampling

Question 5

Sampling methods for which the probability of a person being selected into a sample is known

Answer 5

Probability sampling

Question 6

A technique whereby a population is divided into homogeneous group, called strata, along some key dimension (e.g., race/ethnicity), and then random samples are drawn from within each of the strata.

Answer 6

Stratified random sampling

Question 7

The intentional over-recruitment of underrepresented groups into a sample to ensure there will be enough representation of those groups to make valid research conclusions

Answer 7

Oversampling

Question 8

A sample in which members of the population are not all given an equal chance of being selected

Answer 8

Non-probability sample

Question 9

A method of sampling that makes use of the most readily available group of participants

Answer 9

Convenience sampling

Question 10

A method of sampling in which participants are asked to help recruit additional participants

Answer 10

Snowball sampling

Question 11

An instance where participants electively place themselves into a particular sample (or they opt out of participation)

Answer 11

Self-selection

Question 12

The difference between the actual or true value of what you are measuring and the result obtained using the measurement instrument

Answer 12

Measurement error

Question 13

Responses are unordered categories. Although responses might be assigned numbers for coding purposes (e.g., Liberal = 1, Conservative = 2), the numerical assignments are arbitrary

Answer 13

Nominal

Question 14

Responses are ordered categories (“greater than” or “less than” relationships make sense)

Answer 14

Ordinal

Question 15

Responses are numerical and the differences between points on the scale are numerically meaningful

Answer 15

Interval

Question 16

Responses are interval and there is a meaningful 0 value.

Answer 16

Ratio

Question 17

A statistical test that makes few assumptions about the population distribution and may be applied to nominal and ordinal measurements

Answer 17

Non-parametric test

Question 18

A statistical test that requires that the measurement scale of your data be interval or ratio and makes strong assumptions about the distribution of measurements in your population

Answer 18

Parametric test

Question 19

Items that ask participants to rate their attitudes or behaviour using a predetermined set of responses that are quantified. An example would be a 5-point rating scale that asks about level of agreement from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)

Answer 19

Likert-type ratings

Question 20

The probability that your study will be able to detect an effect in your research, if such an effect exists

Answer 20

Statistical power

Question 21

A series of computations that help you determine the number of participants you will need to successfully detect an effect in your research

Answer 21

Prospective power analysis

Question 22

The magnitude of an effect (such as a difference of means or a relationship between two-variables)

Answer 22

Effect size

Question 23

A series of computations that help you determined how much power you had in a study after the fact

Answer 23

Retrospective power analysis

Question 24

An indicator of the probability of obtaining an effect size as large as (or larger than) the one you obtained; also indicates that the differences between groups are not due to sampling error

Answer 24

Statistical significance

Question 25

The process of deliberately manipulating factors in your research to maximize your chance of uncovering a statistically significant finding (p<0.5)

Answer 25

p-Hacking

Question 26

The art of juggling choices

Answer 26

1) Participant Recruitment Issues
2) Time Constraints
3) Money Constraints
4) Equipment Constraints
5) Make the Best Choices