Three Claims, Four Validities: Interrogation Tools for Consumers of Research (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the notes on variables, claims, and validity in research.

Measured variable

A variable that is observed and recorded in a study rather than controlled by the researcher.

Manipulated variable

A variable the researcher actively changes or assigns to create an experimental condition.

Conceptual variable

An abstract, theoretical idea defined at a high level (construct).

Operational definition (operationalization)

A concrete procedure used to measure or manipulate a conceptual variable in a study.

Construct validity

The extent to which a study's variables are measured or manipulated as intended; how well operational variables represent conceptual variables.

External validity

The extent to which study results generalize to other people, settings, times, or situations.

Internal validity

The extent to which observed effects are due to the manipulation of the independent variable rather than confounds.

Statistical validity

How well the study's statistics support the claim, including effect size, precision (confidence intervals), and replication.

Independent variable (IV)

The variable deliberately manipulated by the researcher in an experiment.

Dependent variable (DV)

The variable measured to assess the effect of the IV.

Experiment

A study with a manipulated IV, measured DV, and typically random assignment to conditions.

Random assignment

Allocating participants to groups by chance to control for pre-existing differences.

Covariance

The statistical relationship in which changes in one variable co-occur with changes in another (needed for causal claims).

Temporal precedence

The cause must precede the effect in time.

Causal claim

A statement that one variable causes changes in another, typically supported by experiments.

Association claim

A statement that two variables are related or correlated, not necessarily causal.

Frequency claim

A statement describing the level or degree of a single variable, often based on a survey or measurement of one variable.

Correlation

A statistical relationship between two variables; correlation alone does not prove causation.

Positive association

As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.

Negative association

As one variable increases, the other tends to decrease.

Zero association

No systematic relationship between two variables.

Semantic interference

Delay or increased errors in encoding when related information interferes with the target information.

Stroop task

A cognitive task that measures semantic interference by naming ink color of color words (e.g., the word RED printed in blue ink).

Operationalizing 'School Achievement'

A conceptual variable that can be measured via multiple operationalizations (e.g., grades, test scores, records, teacher observations).

Four Big Validities

Construct validity, External validity, Internal validity, and Statistical validity—the four criteria for evaluating the credibility of claims.