SFL 290- MIDTERM 1 VERIFIED STUDY GUIDE
Types of Measurement - Answers - Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio
Nominal - Answers - Must include two or more categories that are Mutually exclusive
and exhaustive; Everyone fits to 1 and only 1 category; Least precise; Based on
categories; doesn't rank (no numerical properties)
EX: Religion, marital status, race, gender, type of family
Ordinal - Answers - Rankings; but can't tell the specific value between rankings;
continuum of responses, can make ore or less comparisons,
EX: Likert Scale (Agree-Disagree), Runners came in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, rankings
Interval - Answers - Intervals are meaningful; No zero/true zero (if it exists it is not
important)
EX: Temperature (0 degrees doesn't mean there is no heat), intelligence tests, knowing
the time difference between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place runners
Often in family studies research we treat ordinal data as if it were interval (add up the
scores on the items of the depressions scale and use that scale in analyses that require
interval data)
Ratio - Answers - Absolute zero is important!!!; Represents absence of that factor;
anything that you can count; intervals are meaningful
EX: age, years of education, number of divorces, how many children you have
Categorical Variable - Answers - Discrete variables; measured with a nominal scale
EX: Gender, Yes or No questions, religious affiliation2
Continuous Variable - Answers - Measured with an ordinal*, interval, or ratio scale
(*technically ordinal variables are categorical variables, but often in research they are
treated as continuous)
EX: how depressed are you, time of day, speed, how many minutes did this occur,
temperature
Why do we do Literature Reviews/What's the importance? - Answers - It provides an
overview of the research area (theroies and reserach); It determines if reserach
, question has been definitively answered (identifies gaps in the prevous reserach area,
makes sure your is a meaningful contribution to the body of knowledge that already
exists)
*Summarize important information regarding findings, sample, methods; Look for
comparisions, contrasts among articles so you can integrate findings
Types of Research - Answers - Applied and Basic
Applied Research - Answers - Addresses practical problems and addresses specific
solutionsn (until we know the underlying reasons, this research can be pointless, even
harmful)
Program evaluation research: evaluates different programs in agencies, institutions,
govsernment programs (like Head Start to see the impact it is actually having right now
on children; parenting education programs, types of therapy)
Can't do applied before basic research
Basic Research - Answers - Extends knowledge base; no current application; studying
for studyings sake; uncovers evidence about fundamental behavioral processes to
extend the knowledge base
EX: studying how sleep impacts weight, studying the relationship between parenting
and children's social development
Types of Sources - Answers - General, Secondary, Primary
General Source - Answers - Not peer reviewed; leads to more info; great to start not to
end, provides an overview of a certain topic; acts as a lead to where more info can be
found
EX: Magazines, newspapers, Wikipedia, trade books
Secondary Source - Answers - Usually some kind of peer review; info "once removed";
summaries of the original;
EX: Textbooks, review articles in journals, books on specific topics
Primary Source - Answers - Original study report; enough details to recreate the study;
not always peer reviewed
EX: Journal aricles that report on original reserach, scholarly books (like edited volumes
with chpaters that report on differernt original studies)
Deduction - Answers - General to specific
Types of Measurement - Answers - Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio
Nominal - Answers - Must include two or more categories that are Mutually exclusive
and exhaustive; Everyone fits to 1 and only 1 category; Least precise; Based on
categories; doesn't rank (no numerical properties)
EX: Religion, marital status, race, gender, type of family
Ordinal - Answers - Rankings; but can't tell the specific value between rankings;
continuum of responses, can make ore or less comparisons,
EX: Likert Scale (Agree-Disagree), Runners came in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, rankings
Interval - Answers - Intervals are meaningful; No zero/true zero (if it exists it is not
important)
EX: Temperature (0 degrees doesn't mean there is no heat), intelligence tests, knowing
the time difference between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place runners
Often in family studies research we treat ordinal data as if it were interval (add up the
scores on the items of the depressions scale and use that scale in analyses that require
interval data)
Ratio - Answers - Absolute zero is important!!!; Represents absence of that factor;
anything that you can count; intervals are meaningful
EX: age, years of education, number of divorces, how many children you have
Categorical Variable - Answers - Discrete variables; measured with a nominal scale
EX: Gender, Yes or No questions, religious affiliation2
Continuous Variable - Answers - Measured with an ordinal*, interval, or ratio scale
(*technically ordinal variables are categorical variables, but often in research they are
treated as continuous)
EX: how depressed are you, time of day, speed, how many minutes did this occur,
temperature
Why do we do Literature Reviews/What's the importance? - Answers - It provides an
overview of the research area (theroies and reserach); It determines if reserach
, question has been definitively answered (identifies gaps in the prevous reserach area,
makes sure your is a meaningful contribution to the body of knowledge that already
exists)
*Summarize important information regarding findings, sample, methods; Look for
comparisions, contrasts among articles so you can integrate findings
Types of Research - Answers - Applied and Basic
Applied Research - Answers - Addresses practical problems and addresses specific
solutionsn (until we know the underlying reasons, this research can be pointless, even
harmful)
Program evaluation research: evaluates different programs in agencies, institutions,
govsernment programs (like Head Start to see the impact it is actually having right now
on children; parenting education programs, types of therapy)
Can't do applied before basic research
Basic Research - Answers - Extends knowledge base; no current application; studying
for studyings sake; uncovers evidence about fundamental behavioral processes to
extend the knowledge base
EX: studying how sleep impacts weight, studying the relationship between parenting
and children's social development
Types of Sources - Answers - General, Secondary, Primary
General Source - Answers - Not peer reviewed; leads to more info; great to start not to
end, provides an overview of a certain topic; acts as a lead to where more info can be
found
EX: Magazines, newspapers, Wikipedia, trade books
Secondary Source - Answers - Usually some kind of peer review; info "once removed";
summaries of the original;
EX: Textbooks, review articles in journals, books on specific topics
Primary Source - Answers - Original study report; enough details to recreate the study;
not always peer reviewed
EX: Journal aricles that report on original reserach, scholarly books (like edited volumes
with chpaters that report on differernt original studies)
Deduction - Answers - General to specific
