Research Methods Test

Front 1

What information does the standard error of the mean give you? (2)

Back 1

How much variation there is in the mean

Across samples from the same population

Hint 1

how much...

Front 2

What is meant by 95% confidence interval? (4)

Back 2

range of values

for any given statistic

that we have 95% confidence

that the true value of that statistic lies

Hint 2

Range of...

Front 3

How are standard errors and confidence intervals related? (2)

Back 3

Standard errors can be used to calculate confidence intervals

for any given statistic.

Hint 3

Standard errors can be used to...

Front 4

Between which two values can a correlation coefficient vary? (2)

Back 4

Vary between +1.00 and 1.00

Hint 4

+ and -

Front 5

Is a correlation of -8 weaker than a correlation of +8? Explain why. (3)

Back 5

Same strength as each other

because the numerical value (.8) is the same.

Differ only in that they show relationships in different directions i.e. positive and negative

Hint 5

numerical value?

Front 6

Distinguish between naturalistic and controlled observation.(5)

Back 6

Naturalistic observation is carried out on participants in an environment which is familiar to them

e.g. child's home, school-room or playground.

In controlled observation, the psychologist exercises some control over events which influence the participants

e.g. some aspect of their normal, everyday environment is changed

in order to observe the effect.

Hint 6

Naturalistic observation is carried out on...

Front 7

What is the key purpose of a case study? (3)

Back 7

Concerned with in-depth understanding

of one unique instance of something

rather than trying to find general principles which apply to groups of people.

Hint 7

Concerned with...

Front 8

Identify one problem with case studies and explain how it can be countered. (2)

Back 8

They can be said to be open to researcher bias

but no more so than any other interpretative method.

Hint 8

Can be said to...

Front 9

What is a survey? Give an example. (3)

Back 9

Usually a large-scale study

designed to gather information from large numbers of people.

An example is the Hite report

Hint 9

Usually a...

Front 10

Identify two problems with the survey technique.(2)

Back 10

Response bias

Sampling difficulties

Hint 10

Easy!!!

Front 11

Sketch a normal distribution and give three adjectives to describe it. (Make sure you label the axis) (6)

Back 11

frequency (vertical)

scores (horizontal)

unimodal, bell shaped and symmetrical

Hint 11

UBS

Front 12

Sketch three other shapes of frequency distribution and name each one. (6)

Back 12

positively skewed,

negatively skewed,

U-shaped,

Hint 12

PNU

Front 13

Name four levels of measurement. (4)

Back 13

nominal

ordinal

interval

ratio

Hint 13

Nominal etc etc

Front 14

What are measures of central tendency used for? (2)

Back 14

summarising large amounts of data

into one typical, or average value

Hint 14

Summarising..

Front 15

Name and define three measures of central tendency.(3)

Back 15

mean is the sum of scores divided by the number of scores.

The median is the central score in a list of rank-ordered scores.

The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a set of scores

Hint 15

Come onnnnn...

Front 16

When would you use a median rather than a mean?(4)

Back 16

median is preferred to mean when distribution of scores is skewed

as a result of there being a small number of atypical scores (either high or low)

Mean is easily distorted by such scores

but the median is not affected by them.

Hint 16

Median preferred when distribution is...

Front 17

What are measures of dispersion used for? (1)

Back 17

Indicate the amount of variability, or spread, in a sample of scores

Hint 17

Indicate the amount of...

Front 18

Name three measures of dispersion.(3)

Back 18

Standard deviation

range

Variation ratio

Hint 18

You know this..

Front 19

What is a z-score (2)

Back 19

Number of standard deviations a particular score is

away from the sample mean

Hint 19

number of...

Front 20

What is the standard error of the mean?(2)

Back 20

standard deviation

of the sampling distribution of the mean

Hint 20

Standard deviation of...

Front 21

What is partial correlation? Give an example. (4)

Back 21

Correlation between two variables is tested

while controlling for a third variable.

e.g. test for the correlation between intoxication and alcoholic intake

while controlling for body mass.

Hint 21

2 + 1

Front 22

What does df stand for? (1)

Back 22

Degrees of freedom

Hint 22

You know this.

Front 23

In statstical testing, what does the p value tell you? (2)

Back 23

the statistical sense, the p figure quoted states the probability of obtaining the observed test result

if the null hypothesis is true

Hint 23

In a statistical sense...

Front 24

Why is it conventional to opt for the .05 significance level in psychological research? (2)

Back 24

Strike a reasonable balance between the probability of making a Type I or Type II error

in psychological research that is not of ‘life or death’ importance

Hint 24

Strike a...

Front 25

What is a type I error and how is it dealt with? (3)

Back 25

Error of optimism

resulting from rejecting null hypothesis when it should be retained.

Less likely by choosing a more stringent significance level

Hint 25

Error of...

Front 26

What is meant by a type II error and how is it dealt with? (4)

Back 26

Error of pessimism

resulting from retaining the null hypothesis when it should be rejected.

Less likely by choosing a less stringent significance level

and increasing power

Hint 26

Error of...

Front 27

Complete the following table with the names of 11 statistical tests. (Look at workbook)(11)

Back 27

Look on workbook.

Hint 27

Just learn it.

Front 28

What three assumptions underlie the use of parametric tests? (3)

Back 28

Data should be measured on an interval or ratio scale,

the parent populations of data from which sample data are drawn should be normally distributed

Population variances should be similar (i.e. there should be homogeneity of variance

Hint 28

Data should be measured on...

Front 29

With reference to parametric tests, what is meant by 'robustness'? (2)

Back 29

can withstand some violation of the underlying assumptions

and still give a fairly accurate result

Hint 29

can withstand...

Front 30

With reference to parametric ests, waht is meant by 'power efficiency'? (3)

Back 30

relative ability

to detect a significant effect when null hypothesis is false.

Another way to put this is the ability of the test to avoid making a Type II error

Hint 30

Relative...