Research Methodology Exam Review

These flashcards cover key concepts in research methodology, focusing on important definitions and distinctions necessary for understanding the subject.

Literature Review

A summary, synthesis, and critical evaluation of existing research related to a topic.

Problem Statement

Clearly identifies the issue, gap, or question that the research aims to address.

Falsification

The scientific idea that theories and hypotheses must be testable and able to be proven false.

Quantitative Research Steps

1. Identify the problem and review literature 2. Formulate hypotheses or research questions 3. Design methods and collect data 4. Analyze data statistically 5. Interpret results and draw conclusions.

Intervening Variable

A variable that explains how or why a relationship occurs between an independent and dependent variable.

Validity

The accuracy of a measure in research.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure across different observations or tests.

Sampling Frame

The actual list of the population from which the sample is drawn.

Probability Sampling

A sampling method where every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Negative Skew

A distribution where the tail is on the left (mean < median).

Standard Deviation

A measure that indicates how spread out scores are in a data set.

P-value

The threshold for determining statistical significance; lower values indicate results are less likely due to chance.

Content Analysis

A method used to systematically describe the content of messages.