Midterm 1

Question 1

statistics

Answer 1

the science of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data

Question 2

statistic

Answer 2

a measure of some attribute of a sample (samples can be one element, or a large collection of elements)

Question 3

descriptive statistics

Answer 3

statistics focus on a group of numerical observations about a population of interest

Question 4

inferential statistics

Answer 4

interpretations about populations based on analyses of smaller set of information

Question 5

variables

Answer 5

general characteristics, usually quantified, that VARY and can be used to compare or describe

Question 6

variability

Answer 6

the fact that variables obtained often differ from one another

Question 7

constructs

Answer 7

a hypothetical measure that is designed to generate variables that can be used to explain/measure an idea or concept

Question 8

operational definition

Answer 8

a method of obtaining or measuring a variable

Question 9

levels

Answer 9

a method of obtaining or measuring a variable

Question 11

reliability

Answer 11

consistency in measurement

Question 12

validity

Answer 12

accuracy of measurement with respect to intent

Question 13

independent variables

Answer 13

variables that have at least 2 levels that we either manipulate or the observe in a group

Question 14

dependent variables

Answer 14

variables that are believed to be caused by or changed by the independent variable

Question 15

advantages to mean

Answer 15

LOWEST sampling variability

Question 18

advantages to mode

Answer 18

Easy to calculate

Question 21

advantages to median

Answer 21

Good for distributions that are skewed/have extreme outliers

Question 24

disadvantages to mean

Answer 24

The only measure of central tendency that is sensitive to outliers

Question 25

disadvantages to mode

Answer 25

Gives little info about the entire distribution.

Question 28

disadvantages to median

Answer 28

Does not represent all of the scores in the distribution

Question 29

outliers

Answer 29

Numbers that are much greater or much less than the other numbers in the set

Question 30

measures of variability

Answer 30

Measures of variability allow us to talk about how close or far from the mean the scores in the distribution are.

Question 31

random assignment

Answer 31

creating groups by giving each participant an equal chance of being in the experimental conditions/levels

Question 32

stratified assignment

Answer 32

creating equivalent groups based on important characteristics

Question 33

replication

Answer 33

duplication of a study with a different group, obtained in a different way, in order to verify the results

Question 34

sample statistic

Answer 34

the measureable characteristic of the sample of the population that we're interested in

Question 35

sampling statistic

Answer 35

selecting a subset of the population to collect data from (statistics) in order to make inferences about the population (parameters)

Question 36

subjective probability

Answer 36

probability based on an individual's opinion of the likelihood that an event will occur, or that an event or relationship is due to more than chance

Question 37

expected probability

Answer 37

a measure of the actual probability of an outcome if the outcomes were random and repeated many times

Question 38

null hypothesis

Answer 38

a statement that implies no effects, differences, or similarities on or between variables within a population of interest

Question 39

alternative hypothesis

Answer 39

a statement that implies that the null hypothesis is false (untrue)

Question 40

4 types of studies

Answer 40

Case studies

Question 44

case studies

Answer 44

an analysis of statistics of one element or a small sample of elements

Question 45

non-experimental studies

Answer 45

analyses that compare or measure similarities/differences within a group that we do not manipulate

Question 46

experimental studies

Answer 46

#NAME?

Question 47

construct validity

Answer 47

is it measuring what we're interested in

Question 48

predictive validity

Answer 48

does the measure predict related behavior/measures

Question 49

concurrent validity

Answer 49

does it relate to other measures that are supposed to be measuring the same thing

Question 50

continuous

Answer 50

variables that can assume an infinite number of values

Question 51

discrete variables

Answer 51

variables that have a finite set of variables

Question 52

categorical variables

Answer 52

variables that have no numerical meaning

Question 54

quantitative variables

Answer 54

the levels of these variables that are represented as numbers

Question 55

ordinal

Answer 55

variables that have that have a natural order, but the precise distance between values is not defined

Question 57

interval

Answer 57

variables that have values where the distance between them is meaningful and consistent

Question 60

ratio variables

Answer 60

interval variables where there is a true 0 and where ratios of values make sense

Question 62

real limits

Answer 62

#NAME?

Question 63

midpoint

Answer 63

the precise center of a class interval

Question 64

true random sampling

Answer 64

taking the entire population and selecting a sample randomly from that population

Question 65

stratified sampling

Answer 65

identifying some major characteristics of interest in the population (e.g. gender, age, race, etc.) and generating a sample that is proportionally equivalent to the population

Question 66

pseudo-random sampling

Answer 66

taking everyone that is accessible from a population of and selecting a sample randomly from that group

Question 67

cluster sampling

Answer 67

random sampling of organized groups of individuals from the population

Question 68

measurement error

Answer 68

variation due to the inability to measure something accurately

Question 69

unreliability

Answer 69

variations due to differences in responses to the same situation

Question 70

concepts that impact the scores

Answer 70

measurement error

Question 74

convenience sampling

Answer 74

taking a select sample from the population that is easily accessible

Question 75

volunteer sampling

Answer 75

sampling that is obtained through the willing participation