Chapter 1 Flashcards
(24 cards)
Define: Causal
implying causality
Define: correlation
a statistical measure of covariation whcih summarizes the dirrection (+/-) and strenght of the linear relationship between two variables.
Define: covary (or covariation)
**In probability theory and statistics, covariance is a measure of how much two random variables change together. **when two variables vary together, they are said to “covary”. The term “covariation” is used to describe circumstances in which two variables covary.
Define: data
a collection of variable values for at least two observation.
Define: dependent variable
a variable for which at least some of the variation is theorized to be caused by one or more idependent variable. (Y-variable)
Define: empirical
based on real-world observation. Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.
Define: hypothesis
a theory-based satement about what we would expect to observe if our theory is correct. A hypothesis is a more explicit statement of a theory in terms of the expected relationship between a measure of the independent variable and measure of the dependent variable.
Define: hypothesis testing
the act of evaluating emprical evidence in order to determine the level of support for the hypothesis versus the null hypothesis.
Define: independent variable
a variable that is theorized to cause variation in the dependent variable (X-variable)
Define: measure
a process by which abstract concepts are turned into real-world observations
Define: negative relationship
higher values of the independent variable tend to coincide with lower values of the dependent variable
Define: normal science
scientific research that is carried out under the shared set of assumptions and accepted theories of paradigm
Define: normative statements
statements about how the world out to be
Define: null hypothesis
a theory-based statement about what we would observe if there were no relationship between and independent variable and the dependent variable
Define: operationalize
another word for measurement. When a variable mmoves from the concept-level in a theory to the real-world measure for a hypthesis test, it has been operationalized.
Define: paradigm
a shared set of assumptions and accepted theories in a particular scientific field
Define: paradigm shift
when new findings challenge the conventional wisdom of a paradigm to the point where the set of shared assumptions and accepted theories in a scientific field is redefined
Define: parsimonious
synonym for simple or succinct. According to textbook, in real life it basically means penny pinching.
Define: positive relationship
higher values of the independent variable
Define: theoretical model
the combination of independent variables, the dependent variable, and the causal relationship that are tehorized to exist between them
Define: theory
a tentative conjecture about the causes of some phenomenon of interest
Define: variable
a definable quantity that can take on two or more values
Define: variable label
the label used to describe a particular variable
Define: variable values
the values that a particular variable can take on
