Quantitative Research in Psychology

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to Quantitative Research in psychology as outlined in the lecture notes.

Quantitative Research

A formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that explains or predicts change or variation in an experiment.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that measures change or variation in response to the independent variable.

Extraneous Variable

A variable not of main interest that could potentially affect the outcomes of a research study.

Confounding Variable

A type of extraneous variable that is related to both the independent and dependent variables, potentially affecting their relationship.

Scientific Method

An ongoing process involving observations, questions, hypotheses, predictions, data collection, and theory development.

Descriptive Analyses

Statistical methods used to summarize or describe characteristics of a data set.

Correlation Analyses

Statistical methods that examine the relationship between two or more variables.

Causal Analyses

Statistical methods used to determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables.

Null Hypothesis

A general statement that there is no effect or no difference; it is tested in research to be rejected or failed to be rejected.

Alternate Hypothesis

The statement that indicates a presence of an effect or a difference; it opposes the null hypothesis.