Themes and Variations- Appendix B and Ch 2 Key Terms Flashcards

478920774	Coefficient of determination	The percentage of variation in one variable that can be predicted based on the other variable.
478920775	Frequency distribution	An orderly arrangement of scores indicating the frequency of each score or group of scores.
478920776	Frequency polygon	A line figure used to present data from a frequency distribution.
478920777	Histogram	A bar graph that presents data from a frequency distribution.
478920778	Null hypothesis	In inferential statistics, the assumption that there is no true relationship between the variables being observed.
478920779	Positively skewed distribution	A distribution in which scores pile up at the low end of the scale.
478920780	Scatter diagram	A graph in which paired X and Y scores for each subject are plotted as single points.
478920781	Anecdotal evidence	Personal stories about specific incidents and experiences.
478920782	Case study	An in-depth investigation of an individual subject.
478920783	Confounding of variables	A condition that exists whenever two variables are linked together in a way that makes it difficult to sort out their independent effects.
478920784	Control group	Subjects in a study who do not receive the special treatment given to the experimental group.
478920785	Correlation	The extent to which two variables are related to each other.
478920786	Correlation coefficient	A numerical index of the degree of relationship between two variables.
478920787	Data collection techniques	Procedures for making empirical observations and measurements.
478920788	Dependent variable	In an experiment, the variable that is thought to be affected by the manipulation of the independent variable.
478920789	Descriptive statistics	Statistics that are used to organize and summarize data.
478920790	Double-blind procedure	A research strategy in which neither subjects nor experimenters know which subjects are in the experimental or control groups.
478920791	Experiment	A research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result.
478920792	Experimental group	The subjects in a study who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable.
478920793	Experimenter bias	A phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained.
478920794	Extraneous variables	Any variables other than the independent variable that seem likely to influence the dependent variable in a specific study.
478920795	Hypothesis	A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
478920796	Independent variable	In an experiment, a condition or event that an experimenter varies in order to see its impact on another variable.
478920797	Inferential statistics	Statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions.
478920798	Journal	A periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry.
478920799	Mean	The arithmetic average of the scores in a distribution.
478920800	Median	The score that falls exactly in the center of a distribution of scores
478920801	Mode	The score that occurs most frequently in a distribution.
478920802	Nearsightedness	A vision deficiency in which close objects are seen clearly but distant objects appear blurry
478920803	Operational definition	A definition that describes the actions or operations that will be made to measure or control a variable.
478920804	Participants	Subjects
478920805	Placebo effects	The fact that subjects' expectations can lead them to experience some change even though they receive an empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment.
478920806	Population	The larger collection of animals or people from which a sample is drawn and that researchers want to generalize about.
478920807	Random assignment	The constitution of groups in a study such that all subjects have an equal chance of being assigned to any group or condition.
478920808	Replication	The repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results are duplicated.
478920809	Research methods	Differing approaches to the manipulation and control of variables in empirical studies.
478920810	Response set	A tendency to respond to questions in a particular way that is unrelated to the content of the questions.
478920811	Sample	The collection of subjects selected for observation in an empirical study.
478920812	Sampling bias	A problem that occurs when a sample is not representative of the population from which it is drawn.
478920813	Social desirability bias	A tendency to give socially approved answers to questions about oneself.
478920814	Standard deviation	An index of the amount of variability in a set of data.
478920815	Statistical significance	The condition that exists when the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is very low.
478920816	Statistics	The use of mathematics to organize, summarize, and interpret numerical data. See also Descriptive statistics, Inferential statistics.
478920817	Subjects	The persons or animals whose behavior is systematically observed in a study.
478920818	Survey	A descriptive research method in which researchers use questionnaires or interviews to gather information about specific aspects of subjects' behavior.
478920819	Theory	A system of interrelated ideas that is used to explain a set of observations.
478920820	Variability	The extent to which the scores in a data set tend to vary from each other and from the mean.
478920821	Variables	Any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study.