Appendix

Hypothesis

Formal statement of expected relationship between two variables.

Variables

Measures that can have 2 or more values.

Independent variable

A predictor or cause of variation in a dependent variable.

Dependent variable

A variable that will vary with changes in the independent variable.

Concepts

The idea of a relationship between variables.

Operationalizations

The act of taking concepts and making them into something concrete and measurable.

Moderating variable

Variable that affects the strength of the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable. Ex, country of origin and gender.

Mediating variable

Intervenes or explains the relationship between an independent and dependent variable. Ex, presence of a certain variable.

Reliability

An index of consistency of a research subject’s responses.

Validity

An index of the extent to which a measure reflects what it is supposed to measure.

Convergent validity

Strong relationship between different measures of the same variable.

Discriminant validity

Weak relationship between measures of different variables.

Observational research

Research examining the natural activities of people in an organized setting.

Participant observation

The researcher becomes a functioning member of the organizational unit.

Direct observation

The researcher observes organizational behavior without participation in the activity being observed.

Research process

Sequence of steps including research question, hypothesis, study design, data collection, analysis, and reporting findings.

Correlational research

Measuring variables and examining relationships without changing the research setting.

Correlational design

Passive observational data observing naturally occurring relationships between two variables,

Scatter plot

Visual representation of the relationship between two variables, ranging from -1 to 1.

Spurious correlation

When two variables covary by chance due to a third variable. Ex. chicken consumptiona and crude oil imports.

Cross-sectional design

Independent and dependent variables are measured at the same time.

Longitudinal design

Independent variable is measured at one point and dependent variable at a later point.

Experimental research

Manipulating a variable under controlled conditions to observe effects.

Random assignment

Participants are randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions to improve internal validity.

Internal validity

Confidence that changes in a dependent variable are due to the independent variable.

Threats to internal validity

factors that are alternative explanations for the results of an expiriment.

External validity

Extent to which results generalize beyond the current sample or setting.

Control group

Group of research participants not exposed to the experimental treatment.

Quasi-experimental design

Participants cannot be randomly assigned, and variables are compared to control for differences.

Three issues and concerns in organizational behaviour research

Sampling, hawthorne effects, ethics

External validity

the extent to which the results of a study generalize to other samples and settings.

Random sampling

Research participants are randomly chosen from the population of interest.

Hawthorne effects

Participants change aspects of their behaviour due to being observed

Ethics

Guidelines researchers must follow to avoid deception and protect participant anonymity.