Week 4: Focusing Your Question and Choosing a Design

Question 1

The process by which a researcher strives to define variables by putting them in measurable terms

Answer 1

Operationalizing

Question 2

Overall, this concept refers to the idea that your measurements and methodology allow you to capture what you think you are trying to measure or study

Answer 2

Validity

Question 3

The idea that an investigation or measurement tool should yield consistent findings if researchers use the same procedures and method repeatedly

Answer 3

Reliability

Question 4

The concept that researchers can test whether the hypothesis or claim can be proven wrong

Answer 4

Falsifiable

Question 5

An important step in formulating your research project is crafting a specific and ____________ that will guide your investigation

Answer 5

From a Testable Hypothesis

Question 6

There must be a way to know whether your hypothesis is false, that is, if the videos do not boost intelligence

Answer 6

Ensure Your Hypothesis is Falsifiable

Question 7

A concept of Piaget’s (a cognitive developmental psychologist) that refers to a process where internal mental structures take in new information and fit it in with existing structures (schemas)

Answer 7

Assimilation

Question 8

A concept of Piaget’s (a cognitive developmental psychologist) that refers to a process where internal mental structures change as a function of maturation and taking in new information

Answer 8

Accommodation

Question 9

A test of implicit cognition that measures participants’ reaction time to investigate the strength of association between people’s mental representation

Answer 9

Implicit Association Test

Question 10

A clearly specified definition of your variables, stated in observable and measurable terms

Answer 10

Operational definition

Question 11

The use of numerical data and statistical techniques to examine questions of interest. Or, research that results in data can be numerically measured

Answer 11

Quantitative research

Question 12

The assignment of participants to different conditions in an experiment by methods that rely on chance and probability so that potential biases related to assignment to conditions are removed

Answer 12

Random assignment

Question 13

In an experimental design, the set of participants that receives the intervention or treatment with the goal of determining whether the treatment impact the outcome

Answer 13

Experimental group

Question 14

In an experimental design, the set of participants who do not receive the experimental treatment (or who receive an inert version). This group is compared with the experimental group

Answer 14

Control group

Question 15

A variable manipulated by the experimenter to observe its effect on a dependent variable

Answer 15

Independent variable

Question 16

The factor of interest being measured in the experiment that changes in response to manipulation of the independent variable

Answer 16

Dependent variable

Question 17

A measure of the degree to which the conclusions drawn from a research study can be applied to real-life situations

Answer 17

Ecological validity

Question 18

A group of research approaches that do not attempt to manipulate or control the environment, but rather involve the researcher using a systematic technique to examine what is already occurring.

Answer 18

Non-experimental Methods

Question 19

In a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables, both variables can act as the causal variable. For example, higher intelligence may cause one to be in a higher socio-economic bracket and being in a higher socio-economic bracket may cause one’s intelligence to increase; the effect goes both ways

Answer 19

Biderectionality

Question 20

Research that results in data that are non-numerical and are analyzed for meaning or patterns

Answer 20

Qualitative research

Question 21

A theoretical perspective that examines how participants derive meaning from their lived experiences

Answer 21

Social Constructionism

Question 22

A theoretical perspective that seeks to explore and understand how individuals are shaped and experienced through cultural and social norms

Answer 22

Post-structural feminism

Question 23

Research that uses both quantitative and qualitative data within a single study

Answer 23

Mixed methods research

Question 24

A mixed methods research design that first collects and analyzes qualitative data then uses these findings to inform the quantitative data collection

Answer 24

Exploratory design

Question 25

A mixed methods research design that first collects and analyzes quantitative data then follows up the findings with a more in-depth qualitative study

Answer 25

Explanatory design

Question 26

A mixed methods research design that collects and analyzes the quantitative and qualitative data separately, but then integrates the results together

Answer 26

Convergent design

Question 27

The difference between the actual or true value of what you are measuring and the result obtained using the measurement instrument

Answer 27

Measurement error

Question 28

A general measure of the consistency of your assessment, usually measured by specific types of ________

Answer 28

Reliability

Question 29

A measure of the consistency of results obtained using the same assessment tool on multiple occasions

Answer 29

Test-retest

Question 30

A measure of the consistency of results obtained on different but equivalent forms of the same assessment tool

Answer 30

Alternate forms

Question 31

A measure of agreement in the scores provided by two or more different raters

Answer 31

Inter-rater reliability

Question 32

A measure of how much the scores on items within an assessment yield the same values--to what extent are items within the assessment correlated with each other?

Answer 32

Internal consistency

Question 33

Within a test, this is a measure of internal consistency where the scores on half the items on an assessment are correlated with the scores on the other half of the assessment

Answer 33

Split half

Question 34

Within a test, this is a measure of internal consistency that measures the average correlation between all items in the assessment

Answer 34

Cronbach's alpha (a)

Question 35

refers to how well the content of a test measures the construct it is intended to measure

Answer 35

Evidence based on test content

Question 36

A construct is measured too narrowly and its measurement does not include all relevant aspects of the construct

Answer 36

Construct underrepresentation

Question 37

A construct is measured too broadly and its measurement includes aspects that are not part of the construct

Answer 37

Construct irrelevant variance

Question 38

The degree to which the mechanisms underlying what people think, feel, or do when responding to test items or tasks matches the construct the test or task is trying to measure

Answer 38

Evidence-based on response processes

Question 39

The degree to which test items and components match the structure of the underlying construct

Answer 39

Evidence-based on internal structure

Question 40

A statistical technique that examines the relationships between items in a scale. The approach is useful for determining whether a scale measures a single variable or multiple ones

Answer 40

Factor analysis

Question 41

The degree to which a test/construct is related to other external variables

Answer 41

Evidence-based on relations to other variables

Question 42

The degree to which two constructs that theoretically should be related to one another are related

Answer 42

Convergent evidence

Question 43

A single dimension of personality

Answer 43

General factor of personality

Question 44

A cluster of three antisocial personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy

Answer 44

Dark triad

Question 45

A lack of correlation between two constructs that should not be related to one another

Answer 45

Discriminant evidence

Question 46

The tendency of individuals to respond in a way that will be viewed favorably by others

Answer 46

Socially desirable responding

Question 47

The degree to which test scores predict a criterion variable measured at the same point in time

Answer 47

Concurrent evidence

Question 48

The degree to which test scores predict a criterion variable measured at a future point in time

Answer 48

Predictive evidence

Question 49

Evidence that examines the interpretations and uses of test scores and their resulting intended and unintended consequences

Answer 49

Evidence-based on consequences of testing

Question 50

The degree to which the content of a measure assesses what it is intended to measure

Answer 50

Evidence-based on test content

Question 51

The degree to which the mechanisms underlying what people think, fell, or do when responding to items or tasks matches what was intended

Answer 51

Evidence-based on response processes

Question 52

The degree to which the items on a measure match the underlying structure of the construct

Answer 52

Evidence-based on internal structure

Question 53

The degree to which the scores on measure are related to other external variables

Answer 53

Evidence-based on relations to other variables

Question 54

The degree to which two assessments designed to measure the same construct or behaviour actually do measure the same thing

Answer 54

Convergent validity

Question 55

The degree to which two assessments designed to measure different constructs or behaviours are in fact measuring different things

Answer 55

Discriminant validity

Question 56

The degree to which an assessment correlates with a future measure of a construct or behaviour

Answer 56

Predictive validity

Question 57

The degree to which an assessment is correlated with an outcome measure at present

Answer 57

Concurrent validity

Question 58

The degree to which a measure "appears" to assess the behaviour of interest

Answer 58

Face validity

Question 59

The degree to which a particular variable is actually the cause of a particular outcome

Answer 59

Internal validity

Question 60

The degree to which the conclusions drawn from the results of an investigation can be generalized to other samples or situations

Answer 60

External validity