QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is Categorical Data - ANS has levels that vary in quality or kind
ex. measuring as infant, child, adolescent, adult
What is Continuous Data? - ANS has values that indicate a quality or amount
ex. measure age in years, months, days
Predictor Variable - ANS discovering relationships between variables
Outcome Variable - ANS the ending result.
What goes first in a time sequence? - ANS the predictor variable must come before the
outcome variable
Independent Variable (predictor) - ANS the variable that is controlled or manipulated
Dependent variable (outcome) - ANS The measurable effect, outcome, or response in which
the research is interested.
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, What is a causal relationship? - ANS Where one thing caues another thing to occur. i.e.
Dropping the cost of iPads and the sales of iPads increase
predictor variable is under the experimenters control and is manipulated
Associative research - ANS Research exploring associative relationships between variables
where both variables are measured and neither are manipulated (changed) by the
experimenter.
Example of Associative Research - ANS Student's effort on Try it! 1 was recorded as either
Attempted or Not Attempted
Student's grade on LabQuiz 1 was recorded as the number of correct answers endorsed (score)
A associative relationship was discovered. The students who had used the tutorial scored an
average of 71% while the students who had not used the tutorial scored an average of 39%.
What is Experimental Research - ANS explores causal relationships between variables.
The predictor variable is manipulated by the experimenter and the outcome is measured.
What is the goal of experimental research? - ANS The goal of experimental research is to
isolate the effect of the predictor variable on the outcome variable. In an experiment, the
researcher starts with at least two equal groups, manipulates the predictor variable (making it
independent of everything else) and measures the outcome.
Example of Experimental Research - ANS Students were randomly assigned to one of two
groups. One group had access to a video-based tutorial. The other group had access to the
same information but in a print version.
The students were tested on the material. Grade on the test was recorded as the number of
correct answers endorsed.
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