Research Foundations
This is a guess or prediction a researcher makes before doing a study.
What is a hypothesis?
This design compares different groups at one moment in time.
What is a cross‑sectional study?
This is how well a tool measures what it is supposed to measure.
What is validity?
This sampling method picks people by chance.
What is random sampling?
This document explains a study to participants and tells them they can choose whether or not to join.
What is informed consent?
This is the group a researcher wants to learn about.
What is a population?
This design follows the same people over time.
What is a longitudinal study?
This is how consistent a measurement tool is.
What is reliability?
This sampling method picks people who are easy to reach
What is convenience sampling?
This term means keeping participants’ personal information private
What is confidentiality?
This is the step‑by‑step plan for how a study will be done.
What is a research design?
This type of study tests cause and effect by changing one thing to see what happens.
What is an experiment?
This is the specific way a researcher defines and measures a variable.
What is an operational definition?
This tool asks people questions to gather information.
What is a survey?
This group reviews research studies to make sure they are safe and ethical.
What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
This is information collected in a study.
What is data?
This type of study looks at relationships between variables without changing anything.
What is a correlational study?
This type of reliability checks whether the same test gives similar results at different times.
What is test‑retest reliability?
This method involves watching people and recording what they do.
What is observation?
This principle requires that participants are treated fairly and not exposed to unnecessary harm.
What is beneficence?
This is a broad explanation that helps researchers understand why things happen.
What is a theory?
This design uses both numbers and words to answer research questions.
What is a mixed‑methods study?
This type of validity checks whether a measure looks like it measures the right thing.
What is face validity?
This sampling method divides the population into groups and picks some from each group.
What is stratified sampling?
This occurs when researchers do not tell participants the full purpose of the study until afterward, usually to avoid influencing behavio
What is deception (with debriefing)?