week 2 research designs and levels of measuremnet

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from the lecture on psychological research methods.

Nominal Scale

A measurement scale that categorizes and labels variables without any hierarchy.

Ordinal Scale

A measurement scale that ranks categories in order but does not have equal intervals between adjacent values.

Interval Scale

A measurement scale that has known, equal intervals between values but no true zero point.

Ratio Scale

A measurement scale that has equal intervals and an absolute zero, allowing for the comparison of ratios.

Correlational Research

A type of research that examines the relationship between two or more variables without manipulation.

Experimental Research

A type of research involving manipulation of one or more independent variables to determine their effects on dependent variables.

Quasi-Experimental Research

Research that resembles experimental research but does not involve random assignment to groups.

Descriptive Research

Research used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon.

Causation

The relationship between cause and effect.

Hypothetical Construct

A phenomenon assumed to exist to explain observed effects, but not yet confirmed.

Statistical Significance

A measure of whether the results of an analysis are likely to be true or could be due to random chance.

Chi-Squared Test

A statistical test used to determine if there is a significant association between categorical variables.

Pearson's Correlation

A statistical measure that assesses the linear relationship between two variables.

ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)

A statistical method used to compare means among three or more groups.

Longitudinal Study

Research that studies the same subjects over a period of time to observe changes.

Cross-Sectional Study

Research that analyzes data collected at one specific point in time.

Measurement

The process of quantifying variables to test hypotheses.

Dependent Variable

The outcome variable that researchers are interested in measuring.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Sampling

The process of selecting a representative group from a population for the purpose of research.