Chapter 1

Question 1

a set of mathematical procedures for organizing, summarizing, and interpreting information

Answer 1

statistics

Question 2

the set of all the individuals of interest in a particular study

Answer 2

population

Question 3

a set of individuals selected from a population, usually intended to represent the population in a research study

Answer 3

sample

Question 4

a characteristic or condition that changes or has different values for different individuals

Answer 4

variable

Question 5

measurements or observations

Answer 5

data (plural)

Question 6

a collection of measurements or observations

Answer 6

data set

Question 7

a single measurement or observation and is commonly called a score or raw score

Answer 7

datum (singular)

Question 8

is a value, usually a numerical value, that describes a population, is usually derived from measurements of the individuals in the population

Answer 8

parameter

Question 9

a value, usually a numerical value, that describes a sample, usually derived from measurements of the individuals in the sample

Answer 9

a statistic

Question 10

statistical procedures used to summarize, organize, and simplify data

Answer 10

descriptive statistics

Question 11

consist of techniques that allow us to study samples and then make generalizations about the populations from which they were selected

Answer 11

inferential statistics

Question 12

the naturally occurring discrepancy, or error, that exists between a sample statistic and the corresponding population parameter

Answer 12

sampling error

Question 13

two different variables are observed to determine whether there is a relationship between them

Answer 13

the correlational method

Question 14

the researcher manipulates one variable by changing its value from one level to another

Answer 14

manipulation

Question 15

the researcher must exercise control over the research situation to ensure that other, extraneous variables do not influence the relationship being examined

Answer 15

control

Question 16

characteristics such as age, gender, and intelligence that vary from one individual to another

Answer 16

participant variables

Question 17

characteristics of the environment such as lighting, time of day, and weather conditions

Answer 17

environmental variables

Question 18

one variable is manipulated while another variable is observed and measured — to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the two variables, an experiment attempts to control all other variables to prevent them from influencing the results

Answer 18

the experimental method

Question 19

the variable that is manipulated by the researcher; in behavioral research, it usually consists of the two (or more) treatment conditions to which subjects are exposed and the antecedent conditions that were manipulated prior to observing the dependent variable

Answer 19

independent variable

Question 20

the variable that is observed to assess the effect of the treatment

Answer 20

dependent variable

Question 21

individuals do not receive the experimental treatment; instead, they either receive no treatment or they receive a neutral, placebo treatment — the purpose of this is to provide a baseline for comparison with the experimental condition

Answer 21

control condition

Question 22

individuals in this condition do receive the experimental treatment

Answer 22

experimental condition

Question 23

in a nonexperimental study, the “independent variable” that is used to create the different groups of scores

Answer 23

quasi-independent variable

Question 24

the relationship between the two variables is usually measured and described using a statistic called a…

Answer 24

correlation

Question 25

What two elements are necessary for a research study to be an experiment?

Answer 25

1. the researcher must manipulate one of the two variables being studied 2. all other variables that might influence the results must be controlled

Question 26

internal attributes or characteristics that cannot be directly observed but are useful for describing and explaining behavior

Answer 26

constructs

Question 27

identifies a measurement procedure (a set of operations) for measuring an external behavior and uses the resulting measurements as a definition and a measurement of a hypothetical construct

Answer 27

operational definition

Question 28

What are the two components of an operational definition?

Answer 28

1. it describes a set of operations for measuring a construct 2. it defines the construct in terms of the resulting measurements

Question 29

consists of separate, indivisible categories — no values can exist between two neighboring categories

Answer 29

discrete variable

Question 30

there are an infinite number of possible values that fall between any two observed values; is divisible into an infinite number of fractional parts

Answer 30

continuous variable

Question 31

the boundaries of intervals for scores that are represented on a continuous number line; located exactly halfway between the scores

Answer 31

real limits Each score has two real limits. The upper real limit is at the top of the interval, and the lower real limit is at the bottom.

Question 32

consists of a set of categories that have different names; measurements label and categorize observations, but do not make any quantitative distinctions between observations

Answer 32

nominal scale

Question 33

consists of a set of categories that are organized in an ordered sequence; rank observations in terms of size or magnitude

Answer 33

ordinal scale

Question 34

consists of ordered categories that are all intervals of exactly the same size. Equal differences between numbers on a scale reflect equal differences in magnitude. However, the zero point on an interval scale is arbitrary and does not indicate a zero amount of the variable being measured.

Answer 34

interval scale

Question 35

an interval scale with the additional feature of an absolute zero point; ratios of numbers do reflect ratios of magnitude

Answer 35

ratio scale

Question 36

When measuring height to the nearest inch, what are the real limits for a score of 68 inches?

Answer 36

67.5 and 68.5

Question 37

When measuring height to the nearest half inch, what are the real limits for a score of 68 inches?

Answer 37

67.75 and 68.25

Question 38

is used to specify how many scores are in a set

Answer 38

N

Question 39

upper case N

Answer 39

number of scores in a population

Question 40

lower case N

Answer 40

number of scores in a sample

Question 41

ΣX

Answer 41

sum of the scores

Question 42

variables like intelligence, anxiety, and hunger

Answer 42

constructs (or hypothetical constructs)