Research Term

Group of persons that have certain characteristics or traits in common without necessarily having any direct social connection with one another

Research undertaken with the intention of applying the results to some specific problem.

Pertaining to two variables only

Something that exists theoretically but is not directly observable, for example intelligence

A state that exists when two things vary together

A collection of related data items, such as answers given by respondents to all questions to a survey

Information collected by a researcher

Statistics that summarize a data set

The difference between an observed score and a predicted or etimated score

A group receiving some treatment in an experiment.

The art of planning and executing experiments.

The greatest strength of experimental design.

The greatest weakness of experimental design

In analysis of variance, an independent variable

The extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the treatments rather than a flaw in research design

A group of persons that one wishes to describe or about which one wishes to generalize.

Two events, conditions, or variables that can not occur at the same time

Designs with two or more independent variables and two or more dependent variables

A term used in survey research to refer to the match between the target population and the sample

Method of statistical analysis broadly applicable to a number of research designs, used to determine differences among the means of two or more groups on a variable.

Bell curve

Collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves

Relationship established that show an independent variable, and nothing else, causes a change in a dependent variable.

Relation between cause and effect

These measures indicate the middle or center of a distribution

Range around a numeric statistical value obtained from a sample, within which the actual, corresponding value for the population is likely to fall, at a given level of probability

Specific probability of obtaining some result from a sample if it did not exist in the population as a whole, at or below which the relationship will be regarded as statistically significant.

Unforeseen, and unaccounted for variable that jeopardizes reliability and validity of an experiment

Seeks an agreement between a theoretical concept and a specific measuring device, such as observation

A variable that may have fractional values

Extent to which two items measure identical concepts at an identical levle of difficulty

Type of research that attempts to understand a particular group or culture over a period of time, usually by observer immersion

Used to demonstrate the accuracy of a measuring procedure by comparing it with another procedure which has been demonstrated to be valid

group in an experiment that receives no treatment in order to compare the treated group against a norm.

Process of developing systematized knowledge gained from observations that are formulated to support insights and generalizations about the phenomena under study

-1.0 - 0 - +1.0

Distance between the mean and a particular data point in a given distribution

Common statistical analysis, usually abbreviated as r, that measures the degree of a relationship between variables in a sample

Product of the correlation of two related variables times their standard deviations. Used in true experiments to measure the difference of treatment between them

Researchers ability to demonstrate that the object of a study is accurately identified and described, based on the way in which the study was conducted

Form of reasoning in which conclusions are formulated about the particulars from general or universal premises

Variable that receives stimulus and measured for the effect of the treatment upon it

Quality of an observational study that allows researchers to pursue inquiries on new topics or questions that emerge from the initial research

Variable measured solely in whole units

Extent to which results of a study are generalizable or transferable

Measure of variation within a distribution, determined bu averaging the squared deviations from the mean of a distribution

Extent to which research findings and conclusions from a study conducted on a sample can be applied to the population at large

Statistical test that explores relationships among data. Which variables in a data set are most related to which?

Chosen by determining which word, set of words, or phrases will constitute a concept.

Research tool in which a researcher asks questions of participants

Variable in which both order of data points and distance between data points can be determined

Use of a combination of research methods in a study.

Extent too which two or more individuals agree. Addresses the consistency of the implementation of a rating system

Stimulus given to a dependent variable

Ability to apply the results of research in one context to another similar context.

Rigor to which the study was conducted, the extent to which the designers of a study have taken into account alternative explanations for any causal relationships they explore.

Statistical test used to determine if the scores of two groups differ on a single variable.

Similarity of observations within the same time frame

Research tool that includes at least one question which is either open-ended or close ended and employs an oral or written method for asking questions

Extent to which all questions or items assess the same characteristic, skill, or quality

Tentative explanation based on theory to predict a causal relationship between variables

The most frequent score in a distribution.

The center score in a distribution.

The extent to which research data is grouped together in order to code concepts

Process of corresponding variables in experimental groups equally, feature for feature

The average score within a distribution

Observational research of a group in its natural setting

Statistical test used to compare two sets of scores for the same subject

In survey research, the tightness of the confidence intervals

Degree to which results from the sample deviate from those that would be obtained from the entire population

Variable determined by categories which can not be ordered

Empirical research in which the researcher explores relationships using textual, rather than quantitative data.

Coefficient or value for the population that corresponds to a particular statistic from a sample and is often inferred from the sample

A normal frequency distribution representing the probability that a majority of randomly selected members of a population will fall within the middle of the distribution.

Population researched in a particular study.

A statistical test used to determine if the scores of two groups differ on a single variable.

Research method with subjects, treatment but a nonrandomized group.

The dispersion of data points around the mean of a distribution.

The similarity of observations within the same time frame.

The chance that a phenomenon has of occurring randomly.

A measure of variation within a distribution, determined by averaging the squared deviations from the mean of a distribution.

Term used in statistical amalysis to describe a computed value based on the size of the sample and the standard deviation of the distribution, indicating the range within which the mean of the population is likely to be from the mean of the sample at a given level of probability

The target group under investigation.

Empiraical research in which the researcher explores relationships using numeric data.

A variable in which the order of data points can be determined but not distance between the data points.

Process used in research to draw a sample of a population strictly by chance.

Research tool that includes at least one question which is either open-ended or close-ended and employs an oral or written method for asking these questions

Any distribution which is not normal, that is not symmetrical along the x-axis

In survey research, situation where questions may lead participant responses through establishing a certain tone early in the questionnaire

The extent to which a measure, procedure, or instrument yields the same result on repeated trials

Term used in statistical analysis to describe a measure of variance that indicates the typical distance between the scores of a distribution and the mean.

Observable characteristics that vary among individuals.

Listing that should include all those in the population to be sampled, and exclude all those not in the population.

The difference between the highest and the lowest scores in a distribution

Used to allocate subjects to experimental and control groups.

Degree to which a study accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the researcher is attempting to measure.

Stimulus given to a dependent variable.

The ability to apply the results of research in one context to another similar context.

Description of results from a single incident or individual

Based on the analysis of other published research, this type of article seeks out the consensus on a fairly focused topic

An article describing a particular study and its findings

An integrative study that statistically combines the numeric results of several separate studies addressing the same question into a single estimate of their combined effect

This component of a research article grabs a readers interest and communicates the main focus