Term
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Definition
| The act of disproving a theory or hypothesis. |
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Term
Confounding Variable (confounds)
W1 |
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Definition
Factors that influence both independent and
dependent variables |
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Term
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Definition
| Continuous variables can take on any value within their defined range (e.g. length, weight, time). |
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Term
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Definition
| Discrete variables can only take on specific values (e.g. number of children in a family). |
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Term
Categorical variable types (two types)
W1 |
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Definition
Categorical (entities are divided into distinct categories):
– Binary variable: two categories – Nominal variable: >2 categories, not in particular order –
Ordinal variable: >2 categories and have a logical order |
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Term
Continuous variable types (two types)
W1 |
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Definition
Continuous (entities get a distinct score):
– Interval variable: Equal intervals on the variable
represent equal differences in the property being measured –
Ratio variable: The same as an interval variable, but
the ratios of scores on the scale must also make sense |
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Term
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Definition
| The discrepancy between the actual value we’re trying to measure, and the number we use to represent that value. |
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Term
Types of validity & general definition
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Definition
Validity: Are we measuring what we want to measure?
– Criterion/Concurrent – Predictive – Content |
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Term
Types of reliability & general definition
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Definition
Is our measure consistent (i.e., does it produce similar results across situations)?
– Internal consistency – Test‐retest – Inter‐rater |
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Term
| Systematic vs. unsystematic variation |
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Definition
Systematic Variation
– Differences in performance created by a specific
experimental manipulation.
• Unsystematic Variation
– Differences in performance created by unknown
factors.
• Age, Gender, IQ, Time of day, Measurement error etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| Minimizes unsystematic variation. |
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Term
| A frequency distribution is shown through a |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
The symmetry of the distribution. – Positive skew (scores bunched at low values with the
tail pointing to high values). – Negative skew (scores bunched at high values with the tail pointing to low values). |
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Term
| Kurtosis and its two types |
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Definition
| The ‘heaviness’ of the tails. – Leptokurtic = pointy – Platykurtic = flat (think “platypus”) |
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