Measurement
This is an outcome of interest that a researcher is interested in explaining and predicting
What is a dependent variable?
It provides the most information and makes more mathematical operations possible
What is an interval variable?
Each unit in the sampling frame has an equal chance of being selected
What is a probability sample (or random sample)?
In this distribution, the mean, median, and mode are all the same
What is a normal distribution?
In a study of noise levels at a popular dog park, a team of researchers alternate who will visit the park each day and record the noise level on a 5-point scale from very quiet to very loud; their design weakens this aspect of research studies
What is reliability?
The level of data that you are observing
What is the unit of analysis?
It indicates placement in a category, in a class, or as having a particular quality with no ranking of categories
What is a nominal variable?
Researchers use this type of experimental design when they are not able to randomly assign units to treatment and control groups
What is a quasi-experiment?
This shape is also called a left-tailed distribution
What is a negatively skewed distribution?
In a study of Habitat for Humanity outcomes, Habitat applicants who were just above the income cutoff to receive a home could be surveyed as part of this group
What is a comparison group?
This process translates a concept of interest into a form that can be measured
What is operationalization?
It uses name categories that have a ranked order of placement
What is an ordinal variable?
The list of population units from which you will draw your sample
What is a sampling frame?
This measures the how spread out the data are
What is the variance?
In a study of neighborhood characteristics (e.g. crime rate, mayor, number of residents), this is the unit of analysis
What is the neighborhood?
This is threatened when repeated measurements of the same object return different outcomes
What is reliability?
Number of children is one example of this type of variable
What is an example of an interval (or continuous) variable?
This type of non-probability sampling design asks respondents to refer other respondents for the study
What is a snowball sample?
50% of the population has a value below this measure
What is the median?
In a study of the relationship between number of guests served at TK Soup Kitchen Inc. and the time of the month, this is the population of interest
What are soup kitchen attendees?
This is threatened if the researcher does not rule out other explanations for the observed outcome
What is validity (or internal validity)?
Socioeconomic status (low income, middle income, high income) is one example of this type of variable
What is an example of an ordinal variable?
This type of probability sampling design divides the population into sections and then randomly selects some of the sections to sample
What is a cluster sample?
In this distribution, the mean is greater than the median
What is a positively skewed (right-tailed) distribution?
In a study that compares grades of UML students who work as correctional officers with other UML students (taken from a roster of students and their occupations), researchers should employ this sample design to maximize the study's strength
What is a stratified random sample?