Psych 300B: Test 1 Review (Operationalizing Independent and Dependent Variables)

Research question

What we are interested in studying

Research hypothesis

Educated guess about the relationship between two or more variables

T or F: One can only establish cause and effect if IV is manipulated

T, if measured we can only establish a relationship

What are the 7 steps in the science cycle

1. Start with testable theory

2. Develop research questions

3. State hypothesis based on research question

4. Carry out experiment

5. Collect and analyze data

6. Revise theory according to observed data

7. Repeat

What are the 4 steps to defining a research question

1. Start with theory based on previous research

2. Define hypothesis by making theory more concrete

3. Define testable hypothesis by operationalizing your variables

4. Finally define a proper research question

T or F: the predictor is decided prior to data collection

T, the IV is decided prior to data collection

What is/are the measure(s) of variability and central tendency for a nominal scale

CT - mode

Variability - no measure

What is/are the measure(s) of variability and central tendency for a ordinal scale

CT - mode and median

Variability - range and MAD

What is/are the measure(s) of variability and central tendency for a interval scale

CT - Mode, median and mean

Variability - range, MAD and SD

What is/are the measure(s) of variability and central tendency for a ratio scale

CT - mode, median and mean

Variability - range, MAD and SD

What type of graphic figure must be used for nominal/ordinal data

Bar graph

What type of graphic figure(s) can be used for interval/ratio data

Histogram, frequency polygon or line graph

What does it mean for your criterion variable to be qualitative

Data is nominal, tally or coin for each participants performance

Each participant contributes exactly 1 score

What does it mean for your criterion variable to be quantitative

Data is ranked (ordinal), or scores (interval/ratio), each participant contributes 1 or more scores to data set

What are the 3 major goals of research

1. Examine whether there is a systematic relationship/association between two IV and DV

2. Control bias to better understand what caused the relationship or change in behaviour

3. Establish generality from sample to population

How well are the 3 goals of research met

1. Often achieved fairly well

2. Sometimes achieved, hard to completely remove bias

3. Hardest to attain, can only be done from true random sampling (impossible)