BBH 310 Research Strategies: Fundamental Research Issues

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental research issues, types of validity, variable definitions, operationalization, relationships between variables, and experimental vs nonexperimental methods.

Validity

Refers to the accuracy of results, indicating whether they really represent what they are supposed to measure.

Reliability

Refers to the consistency of a measure, indicating whether results can be reproduced under the same conditions.

Construct Validity

The extent to which a measurement or manipulation accurately represents the theoretical variable being studied.

Internal Validity

The accuracy of conclusions drawn about cause-and-effect relationships between variables.

External Validity

The extent to which study findings can accurately be generalized to other populations and settings.

Statistical Validity

The accuracy of statistical conclusions drawn from the results of a research investigation.

Variable

Any characteristic, behavior, biological process, event, or situation that changes, can be measured, and has two or more levels.

Quantitative Variable

A variable whose values are numerical, such as height, weight, step count, or hours of sleep.

Categorical Variable

A variable whose values are non-numeric and instead identify different categories, such as eye color, college major, or marital status.

Operational Definition

The set of specific procedures used to measure or manipulate a variable in concrete terms.

Positive Linear Relationship

A relationship between two variables where increases in the first variable are accompanied by increases in the second variable.

Negative Linear Relationship

A relationship between two variables where increases in the first variable are accompanied by decreases in the second variable.

Curvilinear Relationship

A relationship between two variables where changes in the first variable are accompanied by systematic increases and decreases in the second variable.

Correlation Coefficient

A numerical index, represented as $r$, that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two quantitative variables.

Nonexperimental Method

A research method in which relationships are studied by observing variables of interest as they naturally occur, without direct manipulation.

Experimental Method

A research method where the researcher directly manipulates an independent variable and controls all other variables by randomization or direct control.

Third-Variable Problem

The possibility in a nonexperimental study that an unmeasured, extraneous variable is responsible for the observed relationship between two variables.

Confounding Variable

An extraneous variable that varies along with the variables under study, offering an alternative explanation for the results.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable in an experiment that is manipulated by the researcher and hypothesized to be the cause.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable in an experiment that is measured to determine the effect of manipulating the independent variable.

Experimental Control

The practice of keeping all factors in the environment constant except the manipulated independent variable.

Randomization

A technique used to control extraneous variables that cannot be held constant by ensuring that their effects are purely random across groups.

Field Experiment

An experiment conducted in a natural setting rather than a tightly controlled laboratory setting.

Participant Variable

Individual characteristics of participants, such as age, that cannot be experimentally manipulated.