(Research Terms & Types)

Longitudinal:

follows people over time

Descriptive:

describes what is happening

(“What is the average sleep time?”)

Correlational:

shows relationship

(“Does sleep relate to grades?”)

Experimental:

tests cause and effect

(“Does sleep cause better grades?”)

Quantitative:

numbers, stats, measurements

Cross-sectional:

Data collected at one point in time

Qualitative:

words, opinions, interviews

Narrative review vs Meta-analysis

True

Primary vs Secondary research

False

Introduction

what is being studied

Purpose

Direct statement of study goal

Alternative hypothesis

something will happen

Two-tailed hypothesis

Non-directional Just says there is a difference

Abstract

Short summary of study

One-tailed hypothesis

Predicts direction

method

how they studied it

Results

what they found

Null hypothesis

nothing is happening.

Discussion

what it means

Conclusion

what you decide from the results.

Hypothesis

prediction