Vocabulary Flashcards: Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (Ch. 1-3)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Chapters 1–3 of Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (8th edition).

Statistics

A set of mathematical procedures for organizing, summarizing, and interpreting information.

Population

The entire group of individuals of interest in a research question.

Sample

A subset of individuals selected from a population for study.

Parameter

A numerical value that describes a population.

Statistic

A numerical value that describes a sample.

Descriptive statistics

Techniques that summarize and organize data (e.g., tables, graphs, averages).

Inferential statistics

Techniques that use sample data to make generalizations about populations.

Sampling error

The natural discrepancy between a sample statistic and the corresponding population parameter.

Correlational method

A research approach that measures two variables for each individual to assess a relationship.

Experimental method

A research method that manipulates an independent variable and observes a dependent variable to demonstrate cause-and-effect.

Confounded

A situation where more than one factor varies, making it difficult to infer causality.

Random assignment

Assigning participants to conditions with equal probability to balance groups and control variables.

Matching

Pairing participants across groups to ensure equivalent characteristics or environments.

Independent variable

The variable that is deliberately manipulated to create different treatment conditions.

Dependent variable

The variable measured to assess the effect of the manipulation.

Control condition (control group)

A baseline group that receives no treatment or a neutral/placebo treatment.

Experimental condition (experimental group)

The group that receives the experimental treatment.

Nonequivalent groups study

A nonrandomized design where groups are preexisting and cannot be made equivalent.

Pre–post study

A design comparing scores before and after an intervention, with time as a possible confound.

Quasi-independent variable

A nonmanipulated variable used to create groups in nonexperimental studies; resembles an IV but is not truly manipulated.

Construct (hypothetical construct)

An internal attribute not directly observable, such as intelligence or anxiety.

Operational definition

A measurement procedure that defines a construct in terms of observable behaviors and resulting scores.

Discrete variable

A variable with separate, indivisible categories (often counts).