Research Terms
What is an independent variable?
What is a variable that is hypothesized to cause or lead to a variation in another variable.
What is the main difference between experimental and quasi-experimental designs?
What is random assignment.
What is a close-ended question?
What is a survey question with preformatted response choices for the respondent to select.
What is the term for the difference between the characteristics of a sample and the characteristics of a population from which was selected?
True or false: correlation equals causation.
What is false.
A researcher used a theory to collect and interpret data on drug use committed by individuals. She used which type of process in conducting her research?
What is deductive reasoning.
What is the term for an experimental study that is conducted in a real-world setting?
What is field experiment.
What is measurement validity?
What is the extent to which measures indicate what they are intended to measure.
What is the term for a list of the elements of a population from which a sample actually is selected?
What is a sampling frame.
What is the level of measurement for race?
What is nominal level of measurement.
What is generalizability?
What is a type of validity that is achieved when a conclusion holds true for the population, group, or groups that we say it does, given the conditions that we specify.
What are the three things true experiments must have?
What are two comparison groups (one receives the experimental condition and the other does not), random assignment to comparison groups, and assessment of change in the DV for both groups after experimental condition has been received (posttest).
What is false.
What are the four types of probability sampling methods?
What are simple random sampling, systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling, and multistage cluster sampling.
What is the difference between a cross-sectional and longitudinal design?
What is a cross-sectional design only collects data on participants at one point in time. Longitudinal research includes data collected at two or more times.
What are the four main types of research?
What are descriptive, explanatory, evaluation, and exploratory research.
Random sampling is a tool for ensuring __________ while randomization is a tool for ensuring __________.
What is generalizability and internal validity.
What are the four types of validity?
What are content, construct, criterion, and face validity.
What are the four types of nonprobability sampling methods?
What are quota, purposive, snowball, and availability sampling.
A researcher surveys prison inmates once on their attitudes toward gun carrying. This is an example of what type of research design?
What is cross-sectional research design?
What are the three criteria for establishing causality?
What are an association between the IV and DV, temporal order, and nonspuriousness.
Endogenous change occurs when natural developments in the subjects, independent of the experimental treatment, account for some or all of the observed changes between pretest and posttest. Endogenous changes include what three specific threats to internal validity?
What are regression, maturation, and testing.
What are at least two ways to test measurement reliability?
What is test-retest reliability, internal consistency/interitem reliability, alternate-forms reliability, and intraobserver (intrarater reliability) & interobserver reliability.
What are two situations where a nonprobability sample would be appropriate.
What are multiple different answers here.. (e.g., hard-to-reach populations such as gang members or drug users; when we are doing a preliminary or exploratory study)
True or false: True experiments always have greater measurement validity than quasi-experiments.
What is false. Measurement validity is a concern with both experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Experimental designs do not in itself offer any special tools or particular advantages/disadvantages in measurement.