EXAM Flashcards
what is an operational definition?
once a variable has been selected, researchers decide on how to measure that variable. OD should be clear, detailed, precise and reproducible
what is a nominal variable?
not complex, no sense of magnitude (cannot be ranked)
what is an ordinal variable?
have a natural order/rank, allow greater or less than statements
what variables are for qualitative research?
nominal and ordinal
what variables are used for quantitative reseach?
ratio/interval
what is validity?
the extent to which the instruments used in a study measure exactly what they are intended to measure
what is reliability?
is the instrument consistent?
if a tool is not reliable, can it be valid?
no
how can a random error be fixed?
by doing many measurements and averaging them
what is bias?
systematic over/underestimation of the true value of the variable – you must change the instrument and you cannot just take an average
what is a random error?
an over AND underestimation of the value of the variable
what are weaknesses of a sample survey?
respondents can lie or forget details, researchers cannot make casual claims
what is the census
a country wide survey done every 5 years in canada by stats canada – gathers demographic information
what is the only type of research method that allows casual claims?
experiments!
what are experiments?
type of research method designed to test predictions about cause-effect relationships
what is content analysis
study the creations/productions of humans (documents, movies, etc)
what is non-participant observation?
researchers insert themselves into a public or private place and observe people
what is secondary data sources+ analyss?
researchers use and analyse data that was collected by someone else
how do you get relative frequencies for a bar graph?
divide the individual count by total number then x 100
if data is qualitative, what graph will you use?
pie or bar
what variable is it if youre using a line graph?
quantitative variable over time interval – MUST have a time factor
what variable is it if youre using a histogram
only ONE quantitative varibale
how to calculate ranges for a histogram?
see given interval, try to dovide your lowest data point by interval # then start counting down
what is N in the formula
sample size
