AAQ key terms

Experiment

investigator manipulates one or more variables in a controlled setting to observe the effects on a dependent variable.

Correlational Research

the nonexperimental research of how much two factors vary together

Case Study

a group/individual who is studied in depth

naturalistic observation

a research method where behavior is observed in its natural environment without interference or manipulation.

meta-analysis

combining data from multiple studies to draw a broader conclusion.

Operational definition

carefully worded statement of exact procedures

mean

The average of a set of numbers, calculated by adding them together and dividing by the total count.

median

The middle value in a set of numbers when arranged in order, or the average of the two middle values when the set has an even number of observations.

mode

The value that appears most frequently in a data set.

range

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset.

standard deviation

computed measure of how much scores vary around the mean

percentile rate

percentage of scores that are lower than given score

skewness

representation of score that lack symmetry around their average values

correlation coefficient

statistically index of the relationship between two variables from -1.0 to +1.0

statistical significance

how likely it is that an obtained result occurred by chance alone

effect size

the strength of a relationship between two variables

IBR approval

Institutional Review Board who approves studies for ethical reasons

What is the difference between consent and assent

consent is for people over 18 and assent is for people under 18

informed consent/assent

giving potential participants enough info about the study to see if the want to participate or not

Protection from harm

physical emotional, privacy & dignity respective

avoiding deception

reducing misleading talk/research

confidentiality

keeping participant information private and secure

debriefing

After the study you explain the purpose to the participants

sample

small group of people to that reflect a target population

hypothesis

a testable statement of what the researchers predict

generalizable

a measure of how useful the results will be a larger population