Research Methods Final

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error variance

Back 1

when there are fluctuations in the DV that is not influenced by the IV

a person in one group is one way and a person in another isn't

important because it can skew significance

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questionnaire development

Back 2

Determine what you want to measure (how specific), Generate an item pool, Define a format (likert scale, semantic differential, visual analog, binary options), Have items reviewed by expert, Write instructions

our experiment

important because it is necessary to have a valid measurement

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internal validity

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the variable the researcher intended to affect the result (manipulation of the IV)

memory of word lists and the types

makes sure the results' significance is not due to confounding variables

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interactions

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occurs when the effect of one independent variable differs depending on the levels of the second independent variable

If drawing a smiley face on checks increases tips for female servers but not for male servers, then there is an interaction between drawing smiley faces (or not) and sex of the server.

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extraneous variables

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Any variable that is not manipulated (i.e., not an independent variable) but still might have an effect on the dependent variable

noise of the train track during testing

Extraneous variables are the cause of experimental error (or NOISE), making it more difficult to measure the relationship between variables or interpret the results of an experiment

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binary options

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questions with one of two answers

ex: true/false, yes/no, agree/disagree

get a definite answer from participant on questionnaire

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independent variables

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the variable that can be controlled by the experiment

video, script, no media

it is what researches control to test if something is significant

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discriminant validity

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The degree to which the operationalization is not similar to (diverges from) other operationalizations that it theoretically should be not be similar to.

if discriminant validity is high, scores on a test designed to assess aggressiveness should not be positively correlated with scores from tests designed to assess intelligence.

determines what type of

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parts of an APA paper

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Abstract, Introduction, Method (participants, materials, procedure), Results, Discussion

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qualitative data

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Data that represent nominal scales such as gender, socieoeconomic status, religious preference are usually considered to be qualitative data.

interviews

to see why people behave the way they do, to see how their opinions and attitude are formed, to detect general differences between group, and to see why groups developed in the way that they have.

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mixed design

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an experimental design with two independent variables in which participants are randomly assigned to different levels of one independent variable and participate in all levels of the other independent variable.

different levels: media types; same levels: questionnaire before/after

keeps random assignment and helps determine significance in an experiment

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counterbalancing

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a type of experimental design in which all possible orders of presenting the variables are included

different word lists order

This way you can measure the effects in all possible situations.

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double-barelled statements

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A double-barreled question asks about more than one construct in a single survey question

Do you favor candidate X and higher taxes or candidate Y and lower taxes?

makes participants not want to answer x even if that's what they agree with

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measures of central tendency

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the tendency of samples of a given measurement to cluster around some central value.

Mean, Median, Mode,

describe the central tendency of a distribution in terms of a single value.

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subject variables

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a category of variables commonly found in psychology research. They are not manipulated as part of the research or measured to see changes after manipulation

ex: age, sex, height, and weight

A researcher keeps track of them to see if they bear any relationship to the results (for example, to see if the effects of a treatment vary with the age of the subject).

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factoral design

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all levels of each independent variable are combined with all levels of the other independent variables to produce all possible conditions.

effect whether a person smiling or not on ratings of friendliness, while whether or not they look at the camera, results being smiling and looking/not looking at camera and not smiling and looking/not looking at camera

It studies the effect of two or more independent

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correlational design

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a measure of the extent to which two variables are related.

height and weight. Taller people tend to be heavier.

determines what type of relationship two variables have

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deception

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when a participant is deceived in a research study

placebo/sugar pill

make sure results aren't skewed due to knowledge in experience (if they knew placebo, it wouldn't work)

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experimenter bias

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the outcome of an experiment tends to be biased towards a result expected by the human experimenter.

researcher can interpret results based on what they want

have to avoid to make sure significance is legit

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main effects

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The effect that is produced by the average of an independent variable that has been produced over another independent variable

intervention of bullying

shows if a variable was significant

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manipulation check

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a measure used to determine whether or not the manipulation of the independent variable has had its intended effect on the participants.

types of group participants were in (fall/winter, spring/summer)

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visual analog

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with semantic differential questions but not on a point scale, rather, a line.

EXCITED_______x___________BORED

get a general answer from participant on questionnaire

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interrater reliability

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a measure of reliability used to assess the degree to which different judges or raters agree in their assessment decisions.

different judges are evaluating the degree to which art portfolios meet certain standards

human observers will not necessarily interpret answers the same way; raters may disagree as to how well certain responses or material demonstrate knowledge of the construct or skill being assessed.

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dependent variable

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what you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the experiment

how stress affects heart rate in humans. Your independent variable would be the stress and the dependent variable would be the heart rate.

it tests to see if it is affected or not

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operational definition

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how a variable is measured

scale, (likert, questionnaire, etc.)

identifies conditions that are measured

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leading statements

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A question that suggests the answer or contains the information the examiner is looking for.

What do you think of the horrible effects of abortion?

influences the respondent to answer in a certain way, and not in the manner they would to an open ended question

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ceiling effect

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measurements of the dependent variable result in many very high or highest scores on the dependent variable,

when giving examinations to students, when the exam is so easy that all the students correctly answered every test item.

thus masking a potential effect of the independent variable

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between subjects design

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every subject is tested under one, and only one, condition.

our experiment

shows if there is a difference between each group without having carryover effects

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likert scale

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a declaritive statement measured in 4-8 points

i am happy 1, 2, 3, 4

used to measure respondents' attitudes by asking the extent to which they agree or disagree with a particular question or statement.

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confounding variable

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an extraneous variable whose presence affects the variables being studied so that the results you get do not reflect the actual relationship between the variables under investigation

if participants figure out what is going on or already know the experiment

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naturalistic observation

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A study method that involves covertly or overtly watching subjects’ behaviors in their natural environment, without intervention.

A graduate student interested in child development receives permission to observe fifth-grade students through a one-way mirror during class time.

experts can see the subject’s behavior in their own natural settings

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scales of measurement

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nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio

(females=1, males=2), (first, second, third,) (likert scale), (true zero, cost, speed)

ways to measure significance

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cronbach's alpha

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a measure of internal consistency, that is, how closely related a set of items are as a group

our interview questions (food options on campus)

tells whether or not questions are consistent and reliable with one another

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demand characteristics

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a participant might pick up on some clue or bias from the researcher, the situation, or something about the experiment that gives the participant and idea of what type of response the researcher is looking for

This doesn't mean that the participant is right, just that something makes them act in a way they think is what the researcher wants and not necessarily in their normal manner.

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inferential statistics

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provide ways of testing the reliability of the findings of a study and "inferring" characteristics from a small group of participants or people (your sample) onto much larger groups of people (the population)

ANOVA

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control groups

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group that does not receive the treatment

no media

provides a group to base the others off of to see if it's significant

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descriptive statistics

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used by researchers to summarize and "describe" data found during research.

frequency distributions, measures of center (i.e., mean, median, mode), range, and standard deviation

provide a way for the researchers to summarize the main properties of a large group of data into just a few numbers

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semantic differential

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opposite ends of continuum

ex: excited, bored; tired, energized

gives an exact answer on what is being asked

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within subjects design

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every subject is tested under every, condition.

word list experiment

It matches participants on all subject levels, which gets rid of error variance; it has more power, and has more observations.

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random sample

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assigning individuals to an experimental treatment or program at random, or by chance

counting by threes

create multiple study groups that include participants with similar characteristics so that the groups are equivalent at the beginning of the study

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interviewing

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You should understand the entire study, including its purpose; You should convey an understanding of interviewing; You should explain interviewer bias; You should walk through the interview and practice it

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carryover effects

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when some effects of a condition persists after the condition ends

word list experiment

should avoid to know if results are significant or not