Com

observable characteristics of our variables

multiple approaches in one research study; means to enhance the quality of the work done

using both quantitative and qualitative methods

instead of using methods, bring in data from different instituations or places

have multiple researchers collect data

bring in different theories and triangulate betweent two to three of them

simply asking a question that puts a variable into a category.

• must be mutually exclusive,
• must be equivalent
• must be exhaustive --> you leave no possible responses out

• must meet all the nominal characteristics, but is also rank order
• anytime you have to rank your sources, such as grades or team sports

• equal distances between two points on the scale
• we will know how much someone likes something
• zero rating: its a point on the scale, doesnt mean it doesnt exist

• scale must be an interval
• low numbers are disagree, higher numbers are agreement (1-5)
• likert type scale uses any modification such as 1-7

polar opposites on both ends of the scale

zero does not mean the variable does not exist

same types of questions throughout

start with broader questions, then narrow them down

specific to broad

• consistency: lying about something up front means you will probably lie the whole way through
• fatigue: questionnaire is too long
• redundancy: similar questions posed in different ways annoy the reader and they can start to check boxes
• response set: clicking one question the whole way through

consistency

accuracy

• draw accurate conclusions from my research
• we want a high amount of internal validity

how generalizable are my findings, as in, how much can i apply what i found to other people

reliable as well. you are not necessarily valid if you are reliable

consistency of our measure and establishes high internal validity

• test/retest method: comparing when tests are taken twice
• alternative forms: give one group of people your measure and also give them a measure that is testing about a similar concept
• split half: compare each half of the quetions to each other

• best method to have measurement reliability
• calculates all the possible split halves, all the possible outcomes to give the best one
• Chronbachs Alpha gives this to us, we want higher than .7

• history effect: something external to the study affects the participants
• sleeper effect: effects of the study took longer than expected and you didn't wait long enough to observe them
• sensitization: give a group a measure and ask them to take the same measure at a later time; didnt give them long enough to forget their answers
• data analysis: certain procedures and statistical analysis should be used in certain instances

• participants:
• must have good incentive
• Hawthorne effect: know they are being studied
• selection: who are the people being studied
• statistical regression to the mean: need a larger group of people if your average is unusually high
• mortatlity/attritition: people drop out of the study
• maturation: internal changes that are going on in the participant

• combat threats to ourselves
• blind procedure: participants do not know what group they are in
• double blind: neither participants or researcher know what group they are in

ecological validity: does the research describe what is accurately happening in real life

• exact: repeat study in exact same way
• partial: keeps some of the study the same, but modifies others
• conceptual: keeps the concept of the study the same but uses entirely new procedures

a subgroup of people collected from both a population and target population that actually participate in the study

• size: contingent on statistical distribution -need a minimum of thirty people
• bias: systematically exculded some people that could have been useful to the study
• representativeness: we want our sample to accurately represent our population

list of all possible participants

each person on the roster

the extent to which my sampling deviates from my population

how confident i am that my sample is representative of my population --> want to be 95% or higher

plus or minus range that i believe my sample will fall between

the rewards of doing my research do not outweigh the costs

observable

the dictionary definition of what you are going to stuyd

how are you going to measure your variables

what method are you going to use

what statistical tests are you going to use; qualitative or quantitative

discussion about how does it fit in with the theory, is more research needed, etc

• Pos: researcher and work are seperate from one another
• Nat: your perspective affects your research

• pos: research should be value free, unbiased
• nat: how you view the world is important to your research

• pos: deduction, reason down to a conclusion- cause and effect, quantitative methods
• nat: induction -specific to general, goal is a wholistic understanding at human behavior

• Pos: standardized, in the third person
• Nat: first person, more story telling type way

• tends to be less defined- unsure of what to look for or find
• descriptive: describe something or something that there is no information about
• tests of association: purpose of there is a relationship between concepts being studied
• Tests of difference: looking for differences between groups

• hypothesis is a statement
• tests of association: purposing a relationship
• tests of difference: will state a difference between variables

• two tailed: does not predict a direction
• one tailed: predicts a direction between the variables

influences change in the dependent variable

is the variable being changed

• one way street: one cause --> one effect
• ie: smoking cigarettes cuases cancer, and not the other way around

two way street, reciprocal cause and effect go both ways

variables are related but changes in the one do not cause changes in the other