PSY 150A1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Statistical Inference, Internal Validity, Operational Definition

• School: University of Arizona
• Department: Psychology Main
• Course: PSY 150A1
• Professor: Adam Lazarewicz

Document Summary

Hypothesis: prediction to be tested in a study. Variable: aspect of a study that can change. Purposely changed (manipulated) or measured in a study. Test hypothesis by collecting data using operational definitions of variables. Definition of a variable that specifies how it is measured or manipulated in an experiment. Theory: set of principles that explain a set of observations. Describes characteristics of a group or phenomenon. Studies one person in depth- sometimes a group of people. Draw conclusions with surveys based on sample studied. Sample-subset of population that participates in study. Cons-biased responses, social desirability, unintentional incorrect answers, wording effect. Sample that is a representative of population because every member of the population has an equal chance of inclusion. Observing people or animals in their natural environment. Pros- observation of natural behavior in natural settings. Cons- difficult to be truly unobtrusive, ethical concerns. Measure of how closely related 2 variables are. 2 correlated variables are predictive of each other.