GW 1

Question 1

Define statistics in relation to numbers

Answer 1

Mathematical procedures used to organize or summarize data

Question 2

Define statistics in relation to research

Answer 2

Answers research questions and justifies conclusions

Question 3

Define population

Answer 3

The entire group the researcher wants to study

Question 4

Define a sample

Answer 4

a set of representative individuals pulled from the population

Question 5

Define a variable

Answer 5

A condition or characteristic that changes

Question 6

Define datum

Answer 6

a singular measurement or score from the observation

Question 7

Define raw score

Answer 7

Datum

Question 8

Define parameter

Answer 8

A number that characterizes a population; found by measuring individuals in a population

Question 9

Define statistic

Answer 9

A number that characterizes a sample; found by measuring individuals in a sample

Question 10

What is sampling error caused by?

Answer 10

A sample not being representative of the population

Question 11

Define sampling error/margin of error

Answer 11

when a sample statistic is not representative of its population parameter

Question 12

Define inferential statistics

Answer 12

making generalizations or assumptions about the population from a sample

Question 13

What 3 things do we use descriptive statistics for?

Answer 13

Organizing, summarizing, or averaging data to understand it easier

Question 14

How is non-numerical data usually expressed?

Answer 14

As proportions or percentages

Question 15

What 2 factors must be present in a true experiment?

Answer 15

Manipulation of the independent variable and control of extraneous/confounding variables

Question 16

What is the correlational method?

Answer 16

Measures 2 variables and displays the relationship

Question 17

What is the purpose of the correlational method?

Answer 17

To establish that a relationship EXISTS; does NOT show cause or effect. Does not contain groups.

Question 18

What research strategy establishes cause-and-effect?

Answer 18

Experimental research

Question 19

What is the purpose of the experimental method?

Answer 19

To establish that manipulating one variable CAUSES the change in the other variable

Question 20

In experimental research, which variable is measured for the effect of the treatment?

Answer 20

The dependent variable

Question 21

In experimental research, which variable is used to filter individuals into separate categories?

Answer 21

Independent variable

Question 22

Which research method compares groups of scores?

Answer 22

Experimental research

Question 23

Which variable is manipulated between 2 values?

Answer 23

The independent variable

Question 24

What are 2 types of variables that must be controlled?

Answer 24

Participant variables and environmental variables

Question 25

What does it mean to say that a study is confounded?

Answer 25

When there is more than 1 explanation for the results

Question 26

Which variable are the subjects exposed to?

Answer 26

The independent variable

Question 27

Are both variables measured?

Answer 27

No, just the dependent variable.

Question 28

Define control group/condition

Answer 28

Individuals that receive no treatment; baseline for the treatment condition

Question 29

Define non-experimental research

Answer 29

Comparison of groups of scores without manipulation or control

Question 30

When an independent variable can't be manipulated, what is it and where does it occur?

Answer 30

Quasi-independent variable; in non-experimental research

Question 31

What is the operational definition of a construct?

Answer 31

Measuring the behavior caused by the construct

Question 32

What is a discrete variable

Answer 32

Undividable categories that can't overlap; ex male and female

Question 33

What is a continuous variable

Answer 33

Can be divided into an infinite number of fractional parts

Question 34

When are real limits used?

Answer 34

When you need the upper and lower boundaries of a continuous variable

Question 35

What does a nominal scale fail to do?

Answer 35

Display the size or direction of the categories; very basic scale

Question 36

What is an ordinal scale able to do?

Answer 36

Put things in an ordered sequence like rank

Question 37

List the order of operations

Answer 37

Parentheses, exponents, multiply, divide, sigma, add and subtract outside parentheses